Dodgers: Sunday pregame notes

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PHOENIX -- Shawn Estes was told by Manager Joe Torre this morning that he was no longer a candidate to make the Dodgers’ opening-day roster, leaving four pitchers to compete to be the fifth starter: Claudio Vargas, James McDonald, Eric Milton and Eric Stults.

Estes has the option to go to Triple-A Albuquerque or ask for his release. He asked the Dodgers for some time to make up his mind.

‘That’s depressing, thinking about going to pitch in Albuquerque,’ he said. ‘I might as well go to pitch on the moon.’

Estes declared at the start of camp that he would retire if he didn’t make a major league club this spring but said today, ‘It was more of a mental trick I played on myself.’

The Dodgers also reassigned knuckleballer Charlie Haeger to minor league camp.

Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake and Orlando Hudson will be in the lineup today for the second consecutive day. They won’t travel on Monday to Tempe, where Manny Ramirez will return to game action as the Dodgers’ designated hitter in their game against the Angels.

Starter Randy Wolf is scheduled to pitch six innings today at Camelback Ranch against the Texas Rangers.

Here’s the Dodgers’ lineup:
Rafael Furcal, SS
Orlando Hudson, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Matt Kemp, CF
Juan Pierre, LF
Brad Ausmus, C
Randy Wolf, LHP

-- Dylan Hernandez