DODGERS NOTEBOOK: FURCAL'S ANKLE IS STILL PAINFUL.

Byline: TONY JACKSON 

Staff Writer

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal says he is still frequently bothered by the left ankle he sprained in a collision with outfielder Jason Repko during a March 22 Grapefruit League game. The ankle was heavily taped in the clubhouse Sunday morning, and Furcal limped noticeably at times during the game.

"It's a little sore every day," Furcal said. "It's not going to be 100 percent healthy until I get a chance to rest it after the season. But I don't think it's affecting me that much. Sometimes, when I try to run, it's a little sore, but it's cool."

Furcal has stolen just seven bases, putting him far behind his pace last year, when he stole 37. More important, he has attempted to steal just 10 times, a clear indication his game has been changed by the discomfort in his ankle.

"I'm a little afraid sometimes, because I don't think I can get a good jump," Furcal said.

Furcal, a switch-hitter batting left-handed, led off the game Sunday with a line single to left field off Edwin Jackson. It was Furcal's third consecutive hit dating to Saturday night, but before that, he had been 3 for 24 since hitting his first home run of the season June 17 against the Angels' Kelvim Escobar.

"Sometimes, hitting right-handed, I'm afraid to turn (my foot) so quick," Furcal said. "But for me, it's not a problem. I think one day, it's going to be healthy again. Until then, I can keep playing with it."

Rubber stamps: The Glendale, Ariz., City Council will meet Tuesday night, when it is expected to give its final approval for the plan to build a two-team spring training facility that will house the Dodgers beginning in 2009 and the Chicago White Sox beginning in either 2009 or 2010.

It is the first in a three-step process that will also include approval by the city council of Phoenix, which is funding two-thirds of the project and will vote July 2, and the state of Arizona, which is expected to vote sometime in July.

All three approvals are expected to be mere formalities.

"We already received preliminary approval from the state in December, and they have been involved in all aspects of the discussions," said Julie Frisoni, communications director for the city of Glendale.

Minor matters: Third-base prospect Andy LaRoche is on the seven-day disabled list at Triple-A Las Vegas because of recurring soreness in his right shoulder, where he had a torn labrum surgically repaired last October. LaRoche recently hurt himself making a diving catch, the same way he suffered the initial injury last June, but he isn't expected to miss much more than a week this time. ... Left-hander Greg Miller, who was demoted from Las Vegas to Double-A Jacksonville to work out his wildness, appears to have done so. In his past two outings for the Suns, Miller has walked just two batters while giving up a run on two hits over three innings.

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DODGERS at ARIZONA

- Tony Jackson