Dodgers’ Pena Puts In Some Encouraging Work

When Tom Lasorda arrived at Dodger Stadium around 9 a.m. Sunday, the cars were lined up bumper-to-bumper on Elysian Park Avenue, something he hadn’t seen since Jack Clark’s traffic-stopping home run last October.

No pennant was on the line Sunday, when the Dodgers played USC in their annual exhibition. But the estimated 17,000 people who showed up for the free workout got the chance to get an early line on Alejandro Pena’s comeback from shoulder surgery.

The Dodger pitcher, who worked only 4 innings in 1985, threw 15 minutes of batting practice for the second time in a week on Sunday, and Dodger officials are cautiously optimistic that the right-hander is progressing toward a return to the Dodger rotation.

Dr. Frank Jobe, team physician, said Pena has made some adjustments in his motion to reduce the strain he has placed on his shoulder, which caused much of the cartilage to be worn away from the rim of the socket.

“He’s changed his body motion so he’s not slingshoting the ball, he’s coming over the top a little more,” Jobe said.

“Before, he had a tendency to drop his elbow, yank his body and slingshot the ball in a springload action. Now we’re trying to get him to build up his abdominal muscles and legs, so he has a good transfer of energy through his body to his arm.”

Jobe said that it was impossible to tell without additional arthroscopic surgery whether there has been any regeneration of cartilage in Pena’s shoulder. But, Jobe said, the shoulder was “very strong. He’s done a very good job on his rehabilitation program.” Dodger scout Mike Brito clocked Pena’s fastest pitch at 86 miles per hour on his radar gun, and said he was consistently throwing at 84 m.p.h.

Before he underwent surgery on the eve of spring training last year, Pena threw in the 90-95 m.p.h. range. Trainer Bill Buhler said it’s too early to say whether Pena will ever throw that hard again.

“That may be asking too much,” Buhler said, “but we don’t know. This is new territory.

“But like I told you before, he said he’s going to pitch. And we’re happy he has that kind of confidence. He didn’t have that last year.”

Dodger Notes The Dodgers, using solely minor leaguers, defeated the Trojans, 3-0. Chris Gwynn, the Dodgers’ No. 1 draft choice last June, singled and drove in a run. Darryl Gilliam, the son of the late Jim Gilliam and a free-agent signee out of Cal State Northridge, entered the game as a pinch-runner and played second base. Winning pitcher in the seven-inning game was Gary Legumina, who at one point struck out five Trojans in a row. . . . Among the regulars who worked out were Mike Marshall, Steve Sax, Greg Brock, Bill Madlock, Mike Scioscia, Fernando Valenzuela, Tom Niedenfuer and Terry Whitfield. Brock’s arbitration hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Still to be heard are cases involving Scioscia, Valenzuela, and Orel Hershiser. . . . Noteworthy stat from Ron Lewis, editor of Baseball-For-Fans Publications, based in Los Angeles: The Dodgers were the only big-league baseball team to have a winning record against teams that had a better-than-.500 record. The Dodgers were 43-38. . . . The baseball writers’ annual awards banquet saluting the Dodgers and Angels will be held Tuesday at the Anaheim Hilton, beginning at 7. Tickets, which are $40, are available at the door.