The Dodgers offense, projected before the season to be one of the most dangerous in the National League, had yet to really kick into high gear through April 12. Although the Dodgers broke out for 11 runs on Saturday night at Arizona, they scored a total of 21 in the other six games on their season-opening trip, and manager Joe Torre already felt the need to tweak things slightly when he moved slumping OF Andre Ethier out of the cleanup spot and down to sixth, flipping him with 1B James Loney, who had been hot. And while OF Manny Ramirez had been decent, he hadn't yet been spectacular. Through the weekend, the club was still waiting for him to hit his first home run. The Dodgers probably don't have the overall pitching to overcome a lack of offense, so the hitters need to kick it into a higher gear fairly soon if the club hopes to get off to a fast start in the National League West. Monday's 11-run outburst against San Francisco was definitely a step in the right direction.
PLAYER NEWS: --RHP Jason Schmidt threw 73 pitches in an extended spring training game and felt good afterward. Dodgers trainer Stan Conte said Schmidt will make at least one more extended spring start before beginning a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Schmidt is still trying to pitch his way back to the majors almost two years after undergoing a major shoulder operation.
--OF Delwyn Young was traded to Pittsburgh on Tuesday night because he was out of minor league options and the Dodgers didn't have a roster spot for him. Young will be placed on the Pirates' active roster. The Dodgers will get two minor league players to be named, which they have until June 1 to choose from a list.
--CF Matt Kemp ran his season-opening hitting streak to nine games by going 2-for-4 with a double Wednesday. Kemp is batting .375 (12-for-32) and is the only member of the Dodgers to hit safely in all nine of the club's games this season. Kemp is batting .444 (4-for-9) with runners in scoring position after he hit just .268 (38-for-142) in such situations last year.
MEDICAL WATCH:
RHP Hiroki Kuroda (strained left oblique) went on the 15-day disabled list April 11. He likely will need to make a rehab start before rejoining the Dodgers.
RHP Claudio Vargas (right elbow tendinitis) went on the 60-day disabled list retroactive to April 6.
RHP Jason Schmidt (right shoulder surgery) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 30. He threw in extended spring training on April 8 and April 13, and he will pitch there at least once more before starting a minor league rehab assignment.
ROTATION:
LHP Randy Wolf
RHP Chad Billingsley
LHP Clayton Kershaw
LHP Eric Stults
BULLPEN:
RHP Jonathan Broxton (closer)
LHP Hong-Chih Kuo
RHP Guillermo Mota
LHP Will Ohman
RHP Ronald Belisario
RHP Ramon Troncoso
RHP Cory Wade
RHP James McDonald
CATCHERS:
Russell Martin
Brad Ausmus
INFIELDERS:
1B James Loney
2B Orlando Hudson
SS Rafael Furcal
3B Casey Blake
INF Juan Castro
INF Mark Loretta
INF Doug Mientkiewicz
OUTFIELDERS:
LF Manny Ramirez
CF Matt Kemp
RF Andre Ethier
OF Juan Pierre
