Dodgers : For Lasorda, Picking His Pitching Staff Is a Pleasant Problem

Not all of Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda’s problems this spring involve temperamental stars.

One of his more pleasant personnel decisions involves selecting the balance of his pitching staff from among several worthy candidates. Lasorda is not fretting about it either, since he figures it all will unfold by the end of the month.

“I think (the pitching) is better than I’d thought it would be so far,” Lasorda said. “There’s still some reservations. But the more I see of it, the more I believe it could be a good staff.”

In Saturday’s 5-2, 10-inning win over the New York Mets, several Dodger pitching candidates made their spring debuts. Reviews were good for starter Tim Belcher and relievers Brian Holton and Brad Havens. Starting candidate Ken Howell struggled in his first game appearance since off-season shoulder surgery.

Belcher pitched three solid innings, giving up one run and three hits while recording two strikeouts. Havens pitched one scoreless inning, and Holton earned the win by retiring six straight batters in the eighth and ninth innings, striking out the last three batters he faced.

Even Howell, who walked 3 and threw 49 pitches in 2 innings, showed glimpses of promise. He was able to pitch at full speed without pain and continued to improve his curveball.

Handicapping the Dodgers’ pitching competition is difficult. Lasorda will only say that Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser and Don Sutton are assured of spots in the starting rotation, and Jesse Orosco and Jay Howell (if healthy) of spots in the bullpen.

That leaves a number of candidates for only two starting spots and three relief roles.

“We’ve got a lot of questions here, too,” Lasorda said. “(Alejandro) Pena’s throwing good. Belcher is. (Tim) Leary is, too. (Shawn) Hillegas is coming along. I think it could wind up being a pretty good staff.”

Nearly all Dodger pitchers competing for jobs say that every outing is important. Ken Howell, who had the tip of the clavicle in his right shoulder removed last October, is the exception. Howell said Saturday that he is satisfied, at least at this point, with pitching without pain.

Howell had problems with location on his fastball, but he said the speed was in the high 80s. He said his curveball, which he developed late last season, still needs work, especially while pitching with runners on base.

Howell, still overweight, was supposed to pitch three innings Saturday. But he called it quits after two, because of his pitch count and the fact his shoulder was tiring.

Holton is on the other end of the spectrum. Unlike Howell, he said he feels strong enough to start the season.

“I’m pretty close,” Holton said. “Maybe I could throw a little harder than I did today.” Holton smiled, because he is one of the few Dodger pitchers without a good fastball. But he secured a spot on the staff last season because of his versatility--he can be a spot starter or long and short reliever--and a strong assortment of pitches.

Holton, who led Dodger pitchers in appearances last season with 53, has to fight to make the team.

“I probably have to (prove himself) again because I’m not a hard thrower,” he said. “But that’s fine with me, because I’m competitive. Maybe there would be a letdown if they say I had a job.”

Belcher, technically still a rookie, is battling veteran right-handers Pena, Leary and Howell, and second-year right-hander Hillegas. But Lasorda was impressed with Belcher’s performance Saturday.

“The way he finished up last year (after coming to the Dodgers in the Honeycutt trade on Sept. 3) impressed me, and he still looks good,” Lasorda said. “He’s got a good fastball, and Ronny (Perranoski, the pitching coach) has helped him develop a breaking ball. “So, that’s another guy I have to look at. But I can’t tell you who’s going to be our pitchers.”

Mike Marshall is angry at not being included in the starting lineup in Friday’s home exhibition opener. Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, said the team is trying to find playing time for all players in the spring.

But that didn’t placate Marshall.

“They didn’t give me a good excuse why I wasn’t playing (Friday),” Marshall said Saturday. “I told them I want to be in the same category as (Mike) Scioscia, (Pedro) Guerrero, (Alfredo) Griffin and (Kirk) Gibson.

“If they can’t accommodate me--well, number one, I can’t do a lot about it--I want to be treated like those other guys or play somewhere else.”

Said Claire: “I don’t think Mike should judge by two (spring) games. But he wants to play and do his work, and we want him to accomplish that. My only other response is that I treat all the players with the same respect and fairness. We make the determinations of which players play.”

Dodger Notes

The Dodgers apparently will proceed slowly in their plans to convince Pedro Guerrero to reconsider playing third base. One day after Manager Tom Lasorda met and discussed the idea with Guerrero, coach Joe Amalfitano said he will hit ground balls to Guerrero at third only at the player’s request. “It’s important that Pete come to us,” Amalfitano said. “That way it doesn’t seem like we’re forcing him to do anything. If he came to me and said he wanted me to hit grounders to him both at first and third, I’d do it. He’d be more agreeable to it that way.” . . . Steve Sax, who started at third base, handled his only two chances. Sax forced a runner at second on a routine grounder and threw out a runner at the plate on a hard-hit grounder. He also went 1 for 4. . . . Perhaps the most startling development Saturday was that Guerrero played 10 innings. Quipped Lasorda: “I said to Pete, ‘Do you believe in miracles?’ Because why else would you see him play 10 innings in the third exhibition game of the spring. He never even asked to come out.” . . . Kirk Gibson had a run-scoring double; Alfredo Griffin had two hits, and John Shelby hit a two-run double in the 10th inning. . . . Danny Heep, a former Met, singled home the go-ahead run in the 10th.