Dodgers : They Have Work Cut Out for Them, Especially on Defense

VERO BEACH, Fla. â€”  The Dodgers will be getting more than their share of fielding and base-running practice this spring.

For the last two seasons, the club has led the National League in errors. Totals for mental errors, such as missed cutoff throws and bungled baserunning, were not charted, but the Dodgers had more than their share of those, too.

So, the Dodgers have made a concerted effort to improve in some of those areas. Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, says the team has always stressed defense and fundamentals, but it will put special emphasis on it this spring.

“I don’t see what we’re doing as something new (for the Dodgers),� Claire said. “Just something that is important. Your fundamentals are never sound when you’re coming off seasons when you’ve been 16 (games) under .500.�

Indeed, the Dodgers have worked on baserunning, cutoff throws, defense of the bunt and pickoff plays--in previous springs. But Claire said it is not unrealistic for a team to continue working on fundamentals during the season.

“But that’s the manager’s call,� Claire said. “It’s what he thinks the team needs. But I think you can never be too prepared.�

In many of the baserunning drills, the Dodgers are working on taking the extra base and various base-stealing and hit-and-run situations. Claire said the addition of Kirk Gibson, Mike Davis and Alfredo Griffin, all of whom have good speed, naturally alters the Dodgers’ offensive strategy.

“We want our players to take bigger leads and take risks on the basepaths,� Claire said. “And I think we have the type of players who want to do that. You’ll notice today that Kirk Gibson nearly ran down our third base coach (during the drill), which happened to be Tommy (Lasorda).�

But again Claire downplayed the Dodgers’ re-evaluated spring training fundamental regimen.

“It’s nothing revolutionary,� Claire said. “We’ve just refined it.�

Dodger Notes

Fernando Valenzuela faced live hitting for 12 minutes during batting practice Monday for the second time this spring and reported no problems. . . . Injury report: X-rays on Alejandro Pena’s strained lower back muscle were negative. Dodger trainers said Pena will not miss a workout. Pena said his back bothers him running, not throwing. “It started hurting as soon as I started camp,� Pena said. “Every year in spring training, I feel something. But this year, it was a lot worse.� . . . Steve Sax has been bothered by sprained ligaments in his right elbow, the result of the strain of throwing from third base to first. “It was real sore the first day, but it’s fine now,� Sax said. “I can still work out.� . . . Jay Howell, limited to nonpitching work for nearly a week because of the flu and lower back pain, threw on the side and reported no pain in his right elbow. Howell had bone chips removed from the elbow during the off-season. . . . In Thursday’s spring training opener against the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese League, the Dodgers will start 19-year-old Ramon Martinez.