DODGERS' GREEN HURT IN WIN DODGERS 7, SAN DIEGO 5.Byline: Tony Jackson
Anthony (Antonio) Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson Staff Writer SAN DIEGO San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. - Just when the formerly punchless Dodgers were proving they could bang out a few hits, score a few runs and win a few games, they might have lost their offensive centerpiece. First baseman Shawn Green Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972, in Des Plaines, Illinois) is a 6' 4" left-handed Major League Baseball player. Green is the starting right fielder for the New York Mets.[1] Green was a 1st round draft pick, and has been a two-time major league All-Star. left after the fourth inning of Thursday night's 7-5 win over the San Diego Padres with tightness in his right groin. Green later said he felt something when he scored from second base in the top of the third, although he played two more innings defensively and batted once more before coming out of the game. ``It was just kind of a tug,'' Green said. ``It wasn't a sharp jolt. It didn't go away as I was coming off the field. I just decided to come in and get some treatment on it. It's sore, but it's not horrible. I hope to play (tonight), but we'll see how it is.'' Although the injury does not appear serious, Dodgers trainer Stan Johnston refused to speculate as to whether it is or isn't. ``We'll see how he is (today),'' Johnston said. The Dodgers, who expanded their lead over idle San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden to a full game in the National League West, open a three-game series against the Giants tonight at SBC (1) (SBC Communications Inc., San Antonio, TX, www.sbc.com) A large, national telecommunications company that grew from a multitude of local and regional companies, including Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell, into a single, unified brand by 2002. Park. While there is never a good time to lose a cleanup hitter In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Strategy Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name. , this would be a colossally bad time for the Dodgers to lose Green, who broke out of a season-long slump by going 7 for 10 as the Dodgers (6-3) took two of three from the Padres. Then again, Green could be back in the lineup tonight, which is why the decision was made to take him out of Thursday's game. ``We didn't want to run the risk of him pulling it,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy
What little time Green already has missed hasn't exactly hurt the Dodgers, who provided more data to support their claims that they are underrated offensively. In front of 40,104 at Petco Park, the Dodgers pounded out 11 hits, including an RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in double by Robin Ventura The Dodgers now have won three consecutive series to begin the season, taking two of three in each. That includes four of six against the Padres, a team whose general manager, Kevin Towers Kevin Towers is general manager of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. He was born and raised in Medford, Oregon. [1] [2] [3] Prior to holding his current position, Towers was the Padres' scouting director (1993-1995). , publicly pointed out during spring training that the Dodgers, no matter how talented they are, seem to always find a way not to make the playoffs. In the past, they also seemed to always find a way not to beat Brian Lawrence Brian Michael Lawrence (born May 14, 1976, in Fort Collins, Colorado. Lawrence stands at 6'0" tall and weighs 195 pounds. He bats and throws right-handed. Playing career Lawrence attended Northwestern State University of Louisiana. , the Padres right-hander who entered the evening 8-3 with a 1.95 ERA in 18 previous appearances against the Dodgers. But after scratching out eight hits against Lawrence on opening day and failing to capitalize, the Dodgers got nine more against him and made him pay this time, scoring four runs in the third inning and another in the fifth. Both rallies began with extra-base hits by Alex Cora, the light-hitting second baseman who entered the game batting .143. ``Alex Cora, prior to tonight, had a number of very good at-bats,'' Tracy said. ``He just hit into some hard luck. Right now, offensively, he reminds me of the player we saw for much of the 2002 season and not much of 2003. He's a very capable offensive player. I just really like the approach he is showing right now.'' The Dodgers batted around in that four-run third, stringing together five consecutive two-out hits and showing again the effect the April 4 trade for center fielder Milton Bradley has had on the entire batting order. Bradley moved right into the third spot, pushing Adrian Beltre down to seventh. The result has been a stronger lineup top to bottom. ``We're showing everybody we can hit a little bit, and obviously we can still pitch,'' said Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca Paul Anthony Lo Duca (born April 12, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is a catcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the New York Mets. Previously, Lo Duca played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004) and Florida Marlins (2004-2005). , who is batting .486. ``We're playing good baseball and doing everything right. We're playing good defense and getting timely hits.'' Hideo Nomo (2-1) wasn't much more effective than Lawrence, but he hung on through the requisite five innings after giving up first-inning solo homers to Mark Loretta and Phil Nevin. The Padres had played five previous games in their new downtown home without going deep. Eric Gagne retired the final four batters for his second save of the season, running his three-year streak of save opportunities converted to 65. Tony Jackson, (818) 713-3675 tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Milton Bradley, who had two RBI and scored two runs, heads to first base after driving in a run in the fourth inning Thursday. Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press Box: GAME RECAP |
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