The team has returned to LA after their Cactus League games in Arizona. Yet, the unanswered questions surrounding the Opening Day roster have followed Torre and the team home.
An injury-plagued infield will likely result in an unfamiliar Opening Day infield line-up. Nomar will almost indefinitely be starting the season on the disabled list. Andy LaRoche (and his ligament-torn thumb) will be out until at least May. The only hopeful possibility if Jeff Kent, who has shown progress in recent days, yet the decision on whether he will start the season on the field on or the disabled list is still wary. Tony Abreu is a definite replacement, yet his place at second or third is dependent upon Kent’s availability at second. Chin-lung Hu and Blake DeWitt are likely to be called upon to fill-in until the gimpy starting infielders can recover.
The outfield also remains a mystery, but for good reason – an excess of talented outfielders lead by Andruw Jones. Veteran Juan Pierre lost his centerfield starting position when the Dodgers acquired Jones from Atlanta. Pierre is likely to start in left, but hold on …. Andre Ethier’s Cactus League performance – which includes six NL leading homers – may nudge Pierre over to right field. Returning starter Matt Kemp is no lock in right field, and he may find himself competing with Ethier and Pierre for playing time. Experience tells us that Torre is no fan of platooning players, so expect to see a consistent starting outfield lineup emerge early in the season.
Although the Dodgers are blessed with a deep starting rotation, Torre’s relievers make him yearn for old days of complete-game pitching. The unattractive ERA’s of the relievers in spring training caused Torre to waste no time in releasing veteran Rudy Seanez before returning to LA. Closer Takashi Saito also faced a tough spring training and has reported soreness in his lower body. Saito’s Opening Day availability remains in doubt. For now, at least, Torre needs to call upon his starters to carry the load on the mound, which will be tough on the starters and may overextend their arms far too early in the season.
Torre has scheduled a meeting on Thursday to discuss these and other roster issues. The team will then travel to Anaheim on Thursday night to take on the Angels before wrapping up their spring-fling with three games against the Red Sox.
