Soreness keeps Dodgers’ Casey Blake out of lineup again

Third baseman Casey Blake did not start against the New York Mets on Monday because of soreness in his left hamstring.

In his last at-bat Saturday against the Florida Marlins in Miami, “I hit a ground ball and ran as hard as I could,� said Blake, 35. “I didn’t feel a pull or anything, I just felt a little something.�

Blake, the Dodgers’ leading home-run hitter with eight before Monday’s game, also sat out Sunday’s game against the Marlins.

“I warmed up [Sunday] and was ready to go if they needed me,� Blake said. “But just the way it feels today I think even though I want to play I think it’s smart maybe to take another day.�

Manager Joe Torre, who started Juan Castro in Blake’s place, said the hamstring problem “probably wouldn’t affect [Blake] defensively as much as it would his running.�

Blake said, “I like the reputation that I’ve gotten of being an everyday guy, a gamer� and that “it’s hard to take these days out there even though it’s probably the smartest thing to do.�

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Kuroda’s progress

Hiroki Kuroda, who started in the Dodgers’ opening-day win and then went on the disabled list because of a strained muscle in his side, said he felt no pain after throwing 45 pitches in a simulated game.

The next step in his recovery could be pitching in a minor league game Friday, perhaps at Class-A San Bernardino, pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said.

Kuroda, 34, alternated between throwing from a full windup and from a stretch on the mound at Dodger Stadium.

“It was fine for the first time,� Torre said. “If [Kuroda] comes out of it fine [today], chances are by the end of the week we may have a rehab game for him.�

Kuroda, asked whether he was feeling closer to his pre-injury form, replied through an interpreter, “physically, yes, but mentally there might be a little bit of fear that I have, but I can get rid of that fear by throwing a lot more.�

Kuroda said that it has been “really frustrating� at times to not be playing, but “nothing beats the team being in first place and doing so well.�

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Cora on Ramirez

Alex Cora and Manny Ramirez were friends and teammates on the Boston Red Sox last season.

Cora, now an infielder with the Mets, showed up at Dodger Stadium on Monday. Ramirez did not, and Cora said he did not expect Ramirez to appear at Chavez Ravine during the teams’ three-game series.

Ramirez has not appeared at Dodger Stadium or spoken publicly in the 12 days since he was suspended for violating baseball’s drug policy. He met briefly with his teammates Friday in Miami.

“He’s doing all right,� said Cora, who went on the disabled list Monday because of a torn ligament in his right thumb. “I don’t think he’s upbeat.�

Cora believes Ramirez will perform just fine when he returns from a 50-game suspension in early July.

“It’s not like an injury,� Cora said. “He’s going to work to be ready when July 3 is here.�

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Short hops

Eric Stults remained questionable to start Wednesday’s game against the Mets because of soreness in his left thumb, which he injured on a fielding play against the Marlins on Friday, Torre said, adding that Jeff Weaver would start if Stults can’t . . . Dodgers pitchers had a combined earned-run average of 3.79 before Monday’s game, and the ERA of their opponents was 5.44.

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Times staff writer Bill Shaikin contributed to this report.

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DODGERS TONIGHT

VS. NEW YORK METS

When: 7.

Where: Dodger Stadium.

On the air: TV: Channel 9; Radio: 790, 930.

Pitchers: Chad Billingsley vs. John Maine.

Update: Billingsley comes off another strong outing when he gave up only one earned run in seven innings against the Phillies on Thursday in Philadelphia. He won one of two starts against the Mets last season and had a 0.69 earned-run average in the two games. Maine won one of two starts against the Dodgers last year and, in his last four starts this season, he is 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA.

-- Jim Peltz