Don Mattingly will return in 2013, according to GM

Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly will return next season, General Manager Ned Colletti said Friday.

Mattingly’s status will not be affected by whether the Dodgers reach the postseason. His contract runs through the 2013 season.

Entering Friday, Mattingly’s two-season record stood at 156-149.

As a rookie manager last season, he led a bankrupt franchise to an 82-79 record.

The Dodgers were in first place in the National League West this season as recently as Aug. 19. But they entered Friday’s game only 6-12 since acquiring Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox.

Colletti doesn’t blame Mattingly for the Dodgers’ recent slump.

“I think every player, no matter how good they are, has ups and downs,” Colletti said. “They go through parts of the seasons that are an adjustment period and they struggle. That’s where we are a little right now.”

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