Now would be a good time for the Dodgers to start hitting a tad

Yeah, it’s only spring and everything starts over on opening day and exhibition stats don’t mean diddly, but still …

It would nice if this supposed Dodgers offensive juggernaut started to at least resemble its splendid billing.

The Dodgers will remain in the Arizona desert for only five more days before heading to Australia to start their season. And over half their projected starting lineup is struggling to hit .200 this spring.

Juan Uribe (.333), Andre Ethier (.320) and Adrian Gonzalez (.316) are the only regulars having success at the plate. The rest are hitting like John Travolta trying to pronounce Erisbel Arruebarrena:

Hanley Ramirez (.208), Dee Gordon (.188), Yasiel Puig (.174), A.J. Ellis (.105) and Carl Crawford (.067).

No one’s worried about Ramirez, but everybody is acting like Gordon has won the second base job and he still hasn’t shown he can hit. Puig is having a polar opposite spring from last year and still has a limited track record. Ellis is coming off a season where his average fell 32 points. And Crawford was all excited to start spring because he hadn’t spent the off-season rehabbing a surgery, yet has gone backward.

Together they have to be a least a minor concern. As a team, the Dodgers are hitting .233 this spring (27th in baseball).

Poor exhibition seasons can be forgotten in a heartbeat once the regular season begins, but this condensed spring doesn’t leave a lot of time to work on things, to round into shape and to get it right.

It is time the Dodgers’ performance started approaching the team with the lofty press clips (and salaries). It wouldn’t hurt the confidence, either.