Orosco Cries Foul After Release

The agent for Jesse Orosco said Friday that his client was lied to by Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone.

This occurred after Orosco, baseball’s all-time appearances leader with 1,096 in 21 seasons, refused a minor-league assignment earlier in the day and was granted free agency.

“Jesse was promised he would be on the team if he was healthy and he’s healthy,� agent Alan Neersand said. “This type of treatment of a respected veteran player like Jesse underscores why Kevin’s reputation has been eroding amongst his peers.

“In baseball, you’re only as good as your word and I’ll never be able to trust Kevin Malone again.�

Malone declined comment.

Orosco, meanwhile, was taken aback by the day’s developments.

“I felt like something was going on the last four or five days but I thought I’d just ride it out,� he said. “That had been said [that he would make the club if healthy]. . . . My main concern was getting through spring training healthy and helping the team in the long run.�

Orosco, who signed a minor-league contract Feb. 8, was 0-3 with a 6.35 earned-run average in 5 2/3 innings over nine Grapefruit League outings. He hoped to become the Dodgers’ situational left-handed reliever.

That role falls to untested Jose Antonio Nunez, a Rule V draft pick from the New York Mets.

Nunez, 22, has never pitched above class A.

Orosco, 43, said his agent was already trying to gauge interest from other teams in hopes of working out a deal, a slim possibility with rosters virtually set for opening day.

“I’ve been playing too long, not that that’s a step back, but had I accepted it, how long would I have been there?� Orosco said of being asked to go to the minors. “What happens in a month? Obviously, they had their reasons.

“Maybe it’s time [to retire]. You can’t wear the uniform forever.�

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A second MRI of Kevin Brown’s strained right Achilles’ tendon showed improvement but probably not enough to keep him off of the disabled list.

“[The MRI] shows remarkable healing,� team physician Frank Jobe said, “but it’s still not quite well.�

Should Brown go onto the disabled list, it would be retroactive to March 24, and he would probably pitch April 8 against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium.

Brown was scratched from his opening-day start because of the injury and Chan Ho Park will take his place. A decision to place Brown on the disabled list must be made by Sunday morning.

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A wispy Adrian Beltre, who underwent abdominal surgery March 12 to repair a botched appendectomy in his native Dominican Republic on Jan. 12, paid a visit to the Dodger clubhouse prior to the Dodgers’ 5-2 exhibition victory over the Colorado Rockies in front of 30,369.

“Right now, I’m just eating solid food and doing some light work on the treadmill,� Beltre said. “I still can’t work out [fully] but just being around the guys, that’s better than being in the hospital.�

Beltre, who turns 22 on April 7, lost 24 pounds in the ordeal. He checked out of Centinela Hospital after the second surgery, to repair a hole in his colon, on March 21.

Though Beltre was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday, retroactive to March 23, he is not expected to be ready until mid-May.

Notes

Catcher Paul Lo Duca hit his right arm on Todd Hollandsworth’s bat while throwing to second base attempting to pick off Todd Helton. Lo Duca remained in the game. . . . Dodger starter Darren Dreifort gave up two runs on 11 hits in six innings. He had five strikeouts and one walk on 83 pitches, 59 strikes. . . . Don Welke, the Dodgers’ 58-year-old senior scouting advisor, underwent a quadruple bypass heart surgery at Centinela Hospital on Friday.

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Staff writer Jason Reid contributed to this story.