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: --C Russell Martin is expected to be out of the lineup Saturday for just the second time this season, with Brad Ausmus replacing him. Dodgers manager Joe Torre said earlier this season that he would like to avoid having two regulars out of the lineup for the same game, but he is making an exception here because Martin has just one hit in 18 career at-bats against Rockies starter Aaron Cook. Torre wants to rest Furcal once a week this season to protect him against injuries, and Furcal prefers to do it when the Dodgers play day games after night games.
--RHP Hiroki Kuroda will try to play catch Saturday, marking what club officials hope is the first step on his road back from an oblique strain. If Kuroda doesn't experience any setbacks, he is expected to throw a bullpen session within the next few days. He will have to throw at least a couple of bullpen sessions and make at least one minor-league rehabilitation start before being activated, meaning there is no chance of him returning when he becomes eligible Wednesday.
--IF Mark Loretta finally made his first start of the season, replacing James Loney at first base, and went 2-for-4, including a single in the seventh inning that drove in the eventual winning run. Loretta is now batting .500 (4-for-8) in limited action this season, but the RBI was his first. Loretta moved to third base when Loney entered in the seventh inning, then left the game for a pinch runner after his tie-breaking single.
--CF Matt Kemp went 1-for-4 with a walk, extending his season-opening hitting streak to 11 games. Kemp joins St. Louis' Chris Duncan as the only players in the majors to have 11-game hitting streaks this season. Kemp also drove in a key run in the Dodgers' four-run, seventh-inning rally when he hit into a force play with runners on the corners.
MEDICAL WATCH:
INF Doug Mientkiewicz (dislocated right shoulder) left the April 16 game after awkwardly sliding into second base. He will have surgery on April 20 and was placed on the 15-day disabled list.
RHP Hiroki Kuroda (strained left oblique) went on the 15-day disabled list April 11. He 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 Blake DeWitt
OUTFIELDERS:
LF Manny Ramirez
CF Matt Kemp
RF Andre Ethier
OF Juan Pierre
