DODGERS NOTEBOOK: BATTLE WITH BORAS AHEAD.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

CHICAGO - With the University of Tennessee facing possible elimination from the College World Series when it plays Arizona State today, talks between the Dodgers and their top draft pick, Volunteers junior right-hander Luke Hochevar, could begin in earnest this week. But club officials quietly are bracing for protracted negotiations that could go on for months.

Hochevar is being advised by notorious hardball agent Scott Boras, and the sides are believed to be at least $1 million to $1.5 million apart before they even begin. Dodgers scouting director Logan White will be the point man for the club, according to two sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, with general manager Paul DePodesta peripherally involved because he is more experienced at dealing with Boras.

White might be a tougher negotiator than DePodesta when it comes to Boras. DePodesta allowed Boras to prolong negotiations with former Dodgers free agent Adrian Beltre last winter before Beltre bolted for Seattle in December, a point at which most of the suitable replacements for him on the free-agent market already had signed elsewhere. Boras also somehow got DePodesta to agree on a five-year, $55 million contract for free-agent J.D. Drew, a non-descript outfielder with a history of injuries.

Hochevar said when he was drafted 40th overall on June 7 that he wanted to get a deal done ``as quickly as possible.'' The key might be how well Hochevar remembers Boras is working for him and not the other way around, something many Boras clients forget given the agent's reputation for getting top dollar for his players.

The Dodgers have plenty of leverage, one of which is time. Hochevar is the Vols' ace and already has pitched almost 140 innings this season. Even if he signs quickly and reports, probably to high Single-A Vero Beach, he certainly won't pitch every fifth day the rest of the summer and might not pitch much at all until next spring. And if Hochevar doesn't sign until after the minor-league season ends, that only means he won't have to be added to the 40-man roster as protection from the Rule 5 draft until 2008 instead of 2007.

Hochevar's leverage is that he is a junior and can return to school, but he gives that up the minute he attends a class in the fall, after which the Dodgers lose rights to him and he must re-enter the draft after his senior year with little to no leverage. His other option is to play in an independent league, where one Dodgers official said the competition level is akin to Single-A, wait out the Dodgers and, if they don't blink, re-enter the draft next summer.

--Getting better: Dodgers shortstop Cesar Izturis might return to the starting lineup as soon as tonight. The reigning National League Gold Glove winner at his position tested his strained right hamstring on Saturday by taking batting practice and ground balls and attempting to run full speed.

``It feels much better,'' Izturis said. ``There is a good chance (of playing tonight).''

If he has no lingering effects, Izturis will return, something that couldn't happen quickly enough for the Dodgers. While the offense struggled collectively through much of May, Izturis was the club's only player who was hitting consistently. And later, when he went through a 2-for-38 skid just before being forced to miss the past four games and five of the past six, he continued to play solidly on defense.

``I think that has reared its head a couple of times,'' said manager Jim Tracy, referring to, among other things, a botched double-play ball by Antonio Perez on Thursday night at Kansas City that prolonged an inning in which the Royals scored six runs off Derek Lowe. ``I have seen (Izturis) catch that ball.''

--Ventura visits: Former Dodgers outfielder Robin Ventura, who announced his retirement the night the Dodgers' season ended in a playoff loss to St. Louis last fall, visited the club before Saturday's game. Ventura, who spent most of his career with the Chicago White Sox, was taking a break from a fundraising tour for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.