Dodger Notebook : Williams Comes Out Swinging, Going 4 for 4, in Bid to Land the Center Field Spot

Reggie Williams, who inherited a spot in the outfield last season when left fielder Pedro Guerrero went down with his severe knee injury, has mostly felt left out this spring.

While the Dodgers, long dissatisfied with Ken Landreaux, are still actively pursuing a trade for a center fielder and also giving rookies Jose Gonzalez and Mike Ramsey playing time, Williams has been watching and waiting for his chance to earn a roster spot again.

Wednesday afternoon, in the Dodgers’ 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins, Williams went 4 for 4 and made a diving catch in right field. He began the day in left field, moved to right later in the game and says he could be the center fielder the Dodgers are seeking.

If only they would give him the chance . . .

“If I didn’t feel that I deserved a (starting position in the outfield), I’d be putting myself down,” said Williams, who hit .277 last season in 128 games. “In spring training, everybody wants to get in work. Being on the bench, you can only learn so much by studying the pitchers and the positioning in the outfield.

“It had been a while since I’ve been in the starting lineup--since I’ve known I was going to be in the lineup, so I could relax.”

Al Campanis, the Dodger vice president, has said that Williams’ best chance of playing in center would be platooning with Landreaux, an option the Dodgers put low on their list of solutions to the problem.

Said Manager Tom Lasorda, when asked why Williams hasn’t played more this spring: “We know what he can do. . . . He’s a good little ballplayer. He did his job for us last year.”

But that doesn’t mean he will make the 24-man roster this season. Williams is taking nothing for granted.

“Honestly, I’m still trying to make the team plane back to L.A.,” he said. “Then, I’ll start worrying about how they are going to use me.”

Dodger Notes Al Campanis, Dodger vice president, said Tuesday that it’s doubtful the club will trade for a center fielder before next week. “I decided with several clubs at the beginning of spring training not to make any deal before March 20, so that we could see our teams play,” Campanis said. Campanis and the rest of Dodger management will be in the Dominican Republic during the weekend to open the Dodgers’ baseball academy. . . . Bill Madlock returned to the lineup Tuesday and had a solo home run and a double. Madlock said his chronically sore shoulder remains sore, but that he felt well enough to play despite having been hit by a pitch on the elbow. . . . Fernando Valenzuela pitched six innings and gave up five runs, four earned. Brian Holton gave up no runs in two innings.