--C Danny Ardoin, who was outrighted last week to clear a 40-man spot, accepted his assignment to Class AAA Albuquerque. Ardoin will receive a minor league salary of $210,750 this season to be A.J. Ellis' backup. Ardoin started 17 games behind the plate for the Dodgers last season and appeared in seven other games.
--RHP Jeff Weaver, who appeared to have made the club, was instead assigned to Class AAA Albuquerque because of a lack of available roster spots. Weaver is expected to be a starter for the Isotopes so that he can build up innings in anticipation of filling a long relief/spot starter role when he is called up. --INF Chin-lung Hu was optioned to the minors on Saturday night. Hu batted .264 this spring, and manager Joe Torre said last week that he had been "the star of camp" because of the marked improvement he had shown compared to last season.
--INF Doug Mientkiewicz has made the club and will be one of four players, along with Orlando Hudson, Manny Ramirez and Will Ohman, signed after the start of spring training who are on the opening-day roster. Mientkiewicz will be the club's primary left-handed pinch hitter and will fill in at the corners both on the infield and in the outfield.
--RHP Jason Schmidt began the season on the disabled list. Schmidt probably will begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment immediately. While he has no actual injury, he has shown a hesitance to completely cut loose with his surgically repaired right shoulder when he is pitching.
--LHP Will Ohman, who was signed last week, began the season with the big-league club instead of spending a week in the minors as previously planned. He made three Cactus League appearances after signing, and club officials are comfortable going ahead with him.
BY THE NUMBERS: 6.31 -- Spring-training ERA for the Dodgers heading into their final game on Sunday against San Francisco. Dodgers pitchers allowed 221 earned runs in 315 1/3 innings. Of the additional 23 runs that were unearned, seven of them came in one outing by non-roster left-hander Eric Milton on March 20 against Kansas City, when he gave up four consecutive two-out hits in a six-run inning. The Dodgers had 13 pitchers with at least five appearances who had six-plus ERAs.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "A big part of it is the approach, having an understanding of what the pitcher is trying to do and of situations and these guys developing a game plan as they go. That is when a team gets a lot better. But at the same time, you have to be careful about too much information. You can't give a baby solid food right away. You don't want these guys up there thinking too much." -- Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly on the growth of the Dodgers' young players.
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