Gagne Impressive in Spring Debut

VIERA, Fla. â€”  It was the fourth inning, not the ninth. There were no screaming fans, just a few cows grazing beyond left field.

Same old results for Eric Gagne, though -- three up, three down. In his spring debut Tuesday, the 2003 National League Cy Young Award winner tamed the heart of the Montreal Expo lineup on 12 pitches. Neither Jose Vidro nor Nick Johnson pulled the ball, and Carl Everett struck out.

There is work to do. Gagne threw almost all fastballs -- two sliders, no changeups. His timing is “a little bit off,� pitching coach Jim Colborn said.

The Dodgers trust their closer to prepare for the season with minimal innings. Gagne pitched seven last spring and said he would pitch no more than 10 this spring.

“I’m not going to overwork,� he said. “I was real fresh last September. I was ready for the playoffs.�

The Dodger offense crashed long before September, so Gagne had October off.

“Winning the Cy Young was great, but we didn’t make the playoffs, so it would be easy to have a better year,� he said. “It was no fun to sit at home and watch the Marlins win the World Series.�

The Marlins qualified for the playoffs with 91 victories and scored 751 runs. The Dodgers won 85 games and scored 574 runs, lowest in the majors.

*

Odalis Perez and Darren Dreifort made their spring debuts as well, with Perez pitching two shutout innings and Dreifort one in the Dodgers’ 7-3 loss to the Expos. Perez said he feels fine and is no longer receiving treatment for the back strain that hampered him at the start of camp.

Dreifort, who underwent knee and hip surgery last year, got two groundouts, gave up two walks and got another groundout in his first competitive appearance in 10 months.

“I tried to walk a couple guys so I could work on some more pitches,� he joked.

Dreifort, who last pitched in relief five years ago, appears headed to the bullpen. He said the coaching staff had not confirmed that role to him. Manager Jim Tracy said coaches have explained to him that the pitching staff works better with Dreifort in relief. “If Darren starts out in the bullpen, it makes us that much stronger,� Tracy said.

*

With a restricted budget, a home schedule split between two cities and the possibility of a franchise move, the Expos do not offer the most stable of environments. They do offer jobs, though, and that’s good enough for reliever Chad Cordero.

“It gives me an opportunity to play,� he said. “All that stuff is going to be a little different, but the city is awesome and Frank [Robinson, the manager] is a great guy.�

This time last year, Cordero was the closer for Cal State Fullerton. The Expos drafted him in June and called him up in August, and he posted a 1.64 earned-run average in 12 games.