DODGERS NOTEBOOK: HOUSTON LIKES THE BLUE LOOK.Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer 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 - Tyler Houston Tyler Sam Houston (born January 17, 1971 in Long Beach, California), is a former professional baseball player who played third base and catcher in the Major Leagues from 1996-2003. Hitting Stats
Houston, traded from the hapless Milwaukee Brewers to the Dodgers on Tuesday, joined the team in San Francisco on Thursday night. But before he donned a blue cap in the clubhouse Friday, the Long Beach native was already on the Internet in Dodgers gear. Technology at its best. ``I had a Dodgers cap and mock turtleneck and everything,'' Houston said. ``How the heck do they do that?'' But Houston liked what he saw. Houston started at first base on Friday in a three-game series against the Giants at Pac Bell Park because Eric Karros Houston tripled in two runs in his first at-bat. The Dodgers could use an offensive spark as they've scored just 37 runs since the All-Star break heading into Friday. ``By no means am I any kind of savior,'' Houston said. ``I'm just here to help. They needed another left-handed bat.'' Houston is expected to be used at third base as well, in a platoon with the struggling Adrian Beltre. He can catch, too. In fact, Houston was drafted by 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. as a catcher. But he has no desire to get behind the plate again. ``It's not something I'd be excited about doing,'' Houston said. ``I worked most of my career trying to get away from that. If I catch, it's going to be something I'd need to do.'' Houston was on the disabled list twice last year with a stress-related injury in his right foot. In 2001, he was on the disabled list from mid-July through September. However, he said as long as he wears an insole in his shoe, he's fine. --Dreifort hampered: Pitcher Darren Dreifort's comeback from elbow surgery deteriorated on Friday after his bullpen session lasted just 20 pitches. Dreifort stopped because of nagging discomfort in his right knee. ``It's still sore,'' Dreifort said. ``There's still some pain. Why continue to push that? That would just be dumb.'' Dreifort had a cortisone cortisone (kôr`tĭsōn'), steroid hormone whose main physiological effect is on carbohydrate metabolism. It is synthesized from cholesterol in the outer layer, or cortex, of the adrenal gland under the stimulation of adrenocorticotropic shot in his knee on Wednesday and has had two scopes on the knee - in 1990 and 1999. He admitted the knee is a concern. ``Yeah, but what the (expletive)?'' Dreifort said. ``It's minor as long as it's not my arm.'' But if Dreifort is compensating for the knee, that can affect other body parts and his mechanics, with which he's tinkered since the surgery. And that makes the knee the big concern now. ``We're going to wait a day or so to see how much better or worse he gets to determine a course of action,'' Tracy said. ``He still has some soreness and you can't push it to the point where you jeopardize his elbow.'' --Brown back soon? Kevin Brown's recovery from back surgery is on the fast track. Brown threw all of his pitches in a 70-pitch bullpen session in Los Angeles on Friday. Brown already was on the disabled list with a right elbow injury when he suffered a herniated disc Noun 1. herniated disc - a painful rupture of the fibrocartilage of the disc between spinal vertebrae; occurs most often in the lumbar region ruptured intervertebral disc, slipped disc rupture - state of being torn or burst open in his back. ``The workout (Friday) was the best to date,'' Tracy said. ``He threw all of his pitches. They were sharp. They were crisp. People who saw the bullpen felt that by far it was the best he's had of the three (bullpen sessions) to date. ``It's absolutely uplifting to hear the reports I'm getting about this man over the course of the week. It's a silver lining silver lining n. A hopeful or comforting prospect in the midst of difficulty. [From the proverb "Every cloud has a silver lining". in what has been a tough week.'' Brown is expected to throw another bullpen session on Sunday. --Who's in the outfield? The San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era could easily stump fans simply by asking them to name all three starting outfielders in Friday's game. None were regulars. Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24 1964 in Riverside, California) is a left fielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds, the godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, and a distant cousin of Hall of Famer Reggie , Tsuyoshi Shinjo Tsuyoshi Shinjo (新庄 剛志 Shinjō Tsuyoshi and Reggie Sanders
Tony Torcato Anthony Dale Torcato, better known as Tony Torcato (born October 25, 1979, in Woodland, California, USA), was a professional baseball player. He had spent his entire career until 2006 playing in the San Francisco Giants system, reaching the major leagues in 2002, and , recalled from Triple-A Fresno, made his major-league debut in right field on Friday. The Giants selected him in the first round in the 1998 draft. Tom Goodwin, the former Dodger, started in center field and Ramon Martinez played in left. DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO Time: 1:05 p.m., Pac Bell Park. TV/Radio: Ch. 11; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish). Matchup: LH Omar Daal (7-5, 4.15 ERA) is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in three games against the Giants this season. He had a no-decision in his last start against the Giants, in which he allowed two runs in seven innings. RH Livan Hernandez (7-10, 4.48) is known for strong second second-half outings, and he's 1-0 with a 2.28 ERA in three starts since the All-Star break. - Jill Painter CAPTION(S): box Box: DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO (see text) |
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