Dodgers’ lineup takes on a normal look against the Kansas City Royals.

Dan Haren

Dan Haren will make what could be his final Cactus League start today against the Kansas City Royals. (Associated Press)

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The end is near.

If Twitter’s brief, apocalyptic mid-morning shutdown (for “maintenance,” we were told) didn’t hint at the end of life as we know it, the Dodgers’ schedule does — at least for those of us who have been with the team in Arizona the better part of a month.

There are six days and seven games left on the schedule beginning with today’s tilt against the Kansas City Royals in Surprise, Ariz. There’s no Andre Ethier, no Hanley Ramirez and no Dee Gordon or Alex Guerrero in the Dodgers’ lineup. Otherwise, it has a very start-to-the-regular-season kind of look.

“We want to play Dre (to play) probably the last five,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “Same with Hanley.”

Yasiel Puig is in right field and Scott Van Slyke in center, a late switch. “We just wanted to see Slyke in center as much as anything,” Mattingly said, dropping the “Van” that makes for so many good last-name puns. “It seems like the right day.”

In one of those great only-in-spring training curiosities, the Dodgers will not use a designated hitter. The Royals will.

Dan Haren is making what ought to be his final Cactus League start. More on him later.

Here are the full lineups for both teams:

Dodgers:

Chone Figgins SS
Carl Crawford LF
Yasiel Puig CF
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Scott Van Slyke RF
Juan Uribe 3B
Justin Turner 2B
A.J. Ellis C

Dan Haren RHP

Royals:

Norichika Aoki RF
Omar Infante 2B
Alex Gordon LF
Billy Butler 1B
Justin Maxwell DH
Danny Valencia 3B
Lorenzo Cain CF
Brett Hayes C
Pedro Ciriaco SS

Jason Vargas LHP