DODGERS NOTEBOOK: DREW'S BAT MAKES RETURN.Byline: Tony Jackson
Anthony (Antonio) Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson Staff Writer KISSIMMEE, Fla. - J.D. Drew won't be ready to test his surgically repaired right arm with any one-hop throws from right field to home plate anytime soon. But in his spring debut Friday, Drew, who prides himself on being selective at the plate, showed part of his game that hasn't suffered from the eight-month layoff. In the first inning of the Dodgers' eventual 8-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From to the present, the Braves have played in Turner Field. in front of 7,263 at Cracker Jack Crack·er Jack A trademark used for a candied popcorn confection. Stadium, Drew worked the count full against a struggling John Thomson John Thomson is the name of:
n. Baseball A substitute base runner. , showered and drove back to Vero Beach Vero Beach (vēr`o), city (1990 pop. 17,350), seat of Indian River co., E Fla., on Indian River (a lagoon and part of the Intracoastal Waterway); founded c.1888, inc. 1919. . Drew pronounced his first game action since last July - when a pitch from Arizona's Brad Halsey Bradford Alexander Halsey (born February 14, 1981 in Houston, Texas) is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the Oakland Athletics. Halsey was an eighth-round pick out of University of Texas at Austin in 2002, when he was the No. struck and broke his right wrist - a success. ``It was just a matter of getting back into the swing of things, tracking balls a little bit, looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a ball in the zone to handle, fine tuning my approach,'' Drew said. ``There are a lot of things you have to do to get ready for the season. Mentally, you try to pick up (the pitcher's) release point and stay behind it. That's something you normally can put on auto pilot during the season, but when it has been a long time, you get back to basics.'' Manager Grady Little said he wasn't sure when Drew would play again, but that it won't be today against Baltimore. ``It might be a couple of days,'' Little said. ``We'll see how he is doing.'' --Waffle time: Dodgers pitcher Yhency Brazoban might play for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic
But before making his decision, Brazoban might want to consider the comments of Little, who shot down the assumption Brazoban - who had 21 saves for the Dodgers last season - is a lock to make the club. ``You can't assume anything in this game,'' Little said. ``There are a lot of people competing for spots in that bullpen. The No. 1 thing he needs to know is that we need him to be healthy.'' Brazoban is scheduled for side sessions today and Monday, with his spring debut hopefully to follow a couple of days after that. --Kent close: Little said second baseman Jeff Kent, who is coming off minor wrist surgery two months ago, will make his Grapefruit League debut as a designated hitter, hopefully within the next week. ``He's not that far away,'' Little said. ``You will see him in a game as a DH sooner than you will see him playing the field. After today, when Joel Guzman will DH against Baltimore, the Dodgers don't play a road game against an American League team until March 13, when they play Boston at Fort Myers. Tony Jackson,(818) 713-3675 tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: The Dodgers' Bill Mueller drives in a run during the first inning of L.A.'s8-7 loss in an exhibition game Friday against Atlanta. John Raoux/Associated Press Box: BEYOND THE BOX SCORE |
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