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Garciaparra tries to turn back clock

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Times Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO -- Nomar Garciaparra never has played a game at shortstop for the Dodgers, and yet it is jarring to associate him with any other position. The debates raged for years over the best shortstop in the major leagues: Garciaparra or Derek Jeter, or Miguel Tejada, or Alex Rodriguez?

In his three years with the Dodgers, he has played first base and third base. He turns 35 next month, with an injury history -- eight stints on the disabled list in the last five seasons -- that made a job as designated hitter appear more likely than a return to shortstop.

Yet the Dodgers want him back at shortstop, as Rafael Furcal’s back injury lingers. When Garciaparra signed with the Dodgers in 2005 -- as a first baseman -- he said he did not concede that his days at shortstop were behind him, and he said the Dodgers did not tell him that.

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“I never heard my shortstop days were done,” Garciaparra said. “I could have played shortstop that year. Other teams wanted me at shortstop.”

Garciaparra hopes to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment within a week, to test his strained calf.

“That’s my first concern,” he said. “We’ll deal with the position later.”

First, then second?

Andy LaRoche made his first start of the season at first base, using a Jason Giambi glove borrowed from bullpen catcher Mike Borzello.

LaRoche is breaking in his own glove, and he got another one designed for second base, but he said he’ll probably leave that one buried in his locker. He said he checked with Jeff Kent, who advised him there was no reason to break in a third glove if he were comfortable using his third baseman’s glove at second.

With Kent scheduled for an off day today, Manager Joe Torre said he might start LaRoche at second base. On Tuesday, Torre said he did not envision starting LaRoche at second base.

“That was off the top of my head,” Torre said. “I may take the chance. I don’t know.”

Juan’s the one

Outfielder Juan Pierre, benched at the start of the season, has led off in every game since Furcal was injured. That’s 33 and counting, and Torre says he sees no rest coming.

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The Dodgers have averaged two fewer runs a game without Furcal. They rank last in the National League in home runs, and Pierre leads the league in stolen bases.

“He’s a legitimate leadoff hitter,” Torre said. “We don’t score a lot of runs, and he can generate some offense just by being on base.”

Short hops

Pierre entered play Wednesday batting .429 off left-handers. . . . Torre gave what he said was a day off to first baseman James Loney. . . . Outfielder Andre Ethier, batting .178 off left-handers, has started against a left-hander once in the last six weeks. . . . Danny Ardoin is scheduled to catch Hiroki Kuroda for the third time today; Torre said that pairing could become established and help ensure Russell Martin gets one day in five off. . . . Catcher Gary Bennett, on a rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Las Vegas, did not play Tuesday because of what Torre said was a recurrence of soreness in his foot.

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bill.shaikin@latimes.com

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