DODGERS NOTEBOOK: GARCIAPARRA BATS LEADOFF.

Byline: Doug Padilla 

Staff Writer

In a sign of how stagnant the Dodgers offense has become, manager Joe Torre turned back the clock Saturday and had Nomar Garciaparra bat leadoff.

That would be the same Garciaparra who's had two stints on the disabled list this season and only recently started playing the demanding shortstop position immediately upon returning from a 10-week spell on the DL because of a calf injury. Garciaparra last batted leadoff for two games in 2002 and hasn't been a regular leadoff man since the start of the 1998 season.

"He's aggressive and he's not your prototypical leadoff hitter because he doesn't go up there thinking about walking, that's for sure," Torre said. "He does put that little extra pressure on the pitcher knowing that if he goes ahead and throws a strike he can hit it out of the ballpark."

Torre is not looking for stolen bases out of his veteran, just quality at-bats that Matt Kemp had been struggling to provide. Kemp had been in the leadoff spot for the past 11days, batting .255 there with a pedestrian .340 on-base percentage.

Kemp, who was moved to the No. 7 spot in the order Saturday, seemed to take the change in stride.

"The only important thing is just playing every day," hesaid.

In losing three of their four games before Saturday, the Dodgers had scored a combined 10 runs, or 2.5 per game.

"We just need to get something started," Torre said. "We did this earlier, not leading off, but we had (Garciaparra) batting third in the lineup that last time before he got hurt. We'll get some quality at-bats from him."

Kershaw's future

Even with the starting staff pitching well, Torre said highly touted prospect Clayton Kershaw will get consideration for returning to the mix at some point in the second half. Kershaw went 0-2 with a 4.42 ERA over eight starts during his first big-league stint in the first half.

"When we sent him out I said, 'Obviously I can't make you any promises but I have a feeling we'll see you down the road here and not to far down the road,'" Torre said.

Injury updates

Pinch-hit specialist Mark Sweeney, on the DL since July 4 with a strained right hamstring, will have one more minor-league rehab game and is expected to return to the roster Friday for the start of the second half. ... Juan Pierre, out since June 30 with a sprained ligament in his left knee, is scheduled to travel with the team on the next road trip to Arizona, but might not be activated until the next homestand.

DeJesus a Futures star

Minor-league shortstop Ivan DeJesus is the only Dodgers prospect in today's Future's Game at Yankee Stadium. The game kicks off All-Star week festivities. DeJesus, a Puerto Rico native, is on the international team roster.