NewsRound 2: Manny slated to be back in mix
Los Angeles (51-29) at San Diego (34-45), 1:10 p.m. PT
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
07/04/09 4:10 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- In case anyone was wondering, Manny Ramirez is expected to be back in the lineup Saturday at PETCO Park in a day game, which is slated to be aired by FOX, after his first night game. "Yeah, he'll be in there," Dodger manager Joe Torre said after the Dodgers vanquished the Padres, 6-3, in Ramirez's first game back from a 50-game suspension Friday night. "I told him unless he came in feeling all beat up in the morning, he's going to play the game."
Ramirez said after he went 0-for-3 with a walk that he would take his comeback day-to-day at this point.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow," Ramirez said. "And I'm going to take it day-by-day. I feel like I have 200 pounds off my back now that the first one is out of the way. Like I said, I'm going to take it day-by-day and get back in shape." It is the fervent hope of the Dodgers that the team gets back to some semblance of normalcy now that Ramirez's return is out of the way. "Obviously, he brought a little something to the table," said Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake. "We knew there would be a lot of media and the fans would be crazy. Both were true. Now we just hope Manny can relax enough so he can get his feel back." For his part, Ramirez said he felt comfortable at the plate, but no one should expect too much too soon. "I need to play six, seven innings right now and just build innings until my legs are really ready," said Ramirez, who came out of Friday night's game after batting in the top of the sixth. Pitching matchupLAD: LHP Randy Wolf (3-3, 3.61 ERA)
Wolf didn't have his best stuff Monday against the Rockies, but he managed to battle through six innings. He got out of several jams and was really only hurt by a two-run home run by Ryan Spilborghs, as Wolf allowed just two runs over those six innings on four hits along with four strikeouts. He was saddled with his 11th no-decision, aided by his two-run RBI single in the fifth. SD: RHP Josh Geer (1-3, 5.68 ERA)
n his last outing, Geer tossed his third consecutive quality start in a 3-1 loss to the Astros at PETCO Park. He allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings of work. Geer threw 98 pitches, 66 for strikes, and walked none. "In the last three starts, I'm feeling good about myself being here in the regular rotation," Geer said. "I'm trying to keep the home runs down, but as long as I give us a chance to win, I feel good." Tidbits
To make room on the 40-man roster for Ramirez, the Dodgers had already designated outfielder Mitch Jones for assignment prior to the slugger's return. Friday, they also moved pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL and activated pitcher Claudio Vargas from the 60-day DL. Vargas, originally a candidate for the fifth-starter spot, was sidelined near the end of Spring Training with a strained elbow tendon. In mid-April, he received a platelet injection similar to the one that got Takashi Saito back on the mound last year. ... Last July 4, the Dodgers -- sans Ramirez, who was still with the Red Sox at the time -- were 42-44, although they were just a half-game behind the first-place D-backs in the National League West. ... After starting all 50 games while Ramirez was suspended, Juan Pierre was back on the bench Friday night. He batted .318 with 14 doubles, 21 RBIs, 31 runs scored and 21 steals while the Dodgers were 29-21. Pierre lined out to center in his only at-bat Friday. Tickets
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• Sunday: Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 9-4, 3.12) at Padres (Josh Banks, 1-0, 3.38), 1:05 p.m. PT
• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw, 5-5, 3.49) at Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 6-3, 4.26), 4:10 p.m. PT
Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
