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Dodger Notebook : Valenzuela Improves; Gibson Has Good News

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Special to The Times

The Dodgers got a double helping of encouraging news Tuesday.

First, Kirk Gibson, recovering from a knee injury, announced that he would be in left field when the Dodgers open the season April 3 against the Reds in Cincinnati.

“I’ll be playing,” Gibson said. “I’ve planned on being there all along. I think it’s expected of me, by myself and by everybody else.”

Then, Fernando Valenzuela, working his way back from a shoulder problem, pitched five creditable innings against the Reds and said he was satisfied with his progress.

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Valenzuela had told reporters Sunday that he would no longer talk with them because they kept asking him about his arm. He had a change of heart after limiting the Reds to three hits and two earned runs in the best of his three outings this spring.

The veteran left-hander couldn’t say, though, that he would be able to take his turn when the season starts.

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s tough to say. I was ready to go from the beginning, but I have to keep working. We’ll know in 2 1/2 weeks.”

Manager Tom Lasorda put it much the same way.

“I’m not going to predict anything,” Lasorda said. “He’s got to keep going out there and building up his arm.”

Pitching coach Ron Perranoski spoke more positively than either Valenzuela or Lasorda.

“Oh yes, he’ll be ready,” Perranoski said. “We’re going to let him go six innings the next time and go on from there.”

Valenzuela made a big turnaround from his first two starts, in which he compiled an earned-run average of 12.60.

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The two earned runs during his Tuesday stint were scored on rookie Reggie Jefferson’s two-run homer. Jefferson wouldn’t have batted in the inning if first baseman Eddie Murray hadn’t thrown wildly to second after Valenzuela had picked a runner off first.

“Fernando had better presence on the mound,” Perranoski said. “He threw 89 pitches, and he was more consistent, which is a good sign.”

Said Valenzuela, who also allowed an unearned run: “I think I’m satisfied. I had a little bit more location today. My progress was much better. As long as I left weights, do my throwing and work on my mechanics, my arm will never hurt.”

Of his temporary rift with reporters, he said: “Everybody thinks my arm hurts. I want to talk about doing my job. I don’t want to talk about my arm. I’m not angry, but some people ask me if my arm hurts, and I’m mad when they do that.”

Gibson, the National League’s most valuable player last season, aggravated a left hamstring injury and hurt his right knee in the fifth game of the National League playoffs against the New York Mets. In his only appearance in the World Series against the Oakland Athletics, Gibson won Game 1 with a dramatic pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning off relief ace Dennis Eckersley.

“Hopefully, I’ll start playing games by the middle of next week,” Gibson said. “Knock on wood. I still feel tightness in my knee, but I don’t have sharp pain anymore after I run. I’ve been swinging and running, and I’ve started to shag fly balls in the outfield.

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“I need to see live pitching--a lot of it. First, though, I’ve got to get my legs in shape. I don’t want to get ahead of myself and make a quick move and pull a muscle.”

Does Gibson think he will be able to play every day?

“That’s the final hurdle,” he said. “It’s a question of being ready to deal with it. I’m confident that I’m not going to reinjure it.”

Bill White, who will take over as president of the National League April 1, said during a visit to the Dodgers’ training camp Tuesday that he would consider raising the player limit from 24 to 25. He also said that he is strongly opposed to the designated hitter, which is used in the American League.

“There’s a lot more baseball in the National League than the American,” White said. “When the American League pitchers had to hit in the World Series, their managers had problems adjusting. Maybe we should let them keep the DH.”

Dodger Notes

Cincinnati Manager Pete Rose was asked why baseball champions haven’t repeated in recent years. “Most teams that win have players who have career years,” Rose said. “What they need the next year is to have their good players play good and their average players play average. You can’t win if your good players play average and your average players play poor. The Dodgers are smart. They win, and they come back and get a guy like Eddie Murray. Of course, if Kirk Gibson gets hurt, they won’t win again.” . . . Rose had special praise for outfielder Kal Daniels, saying: “A lot of guys count their money. He’s so good, he’s going to weigh his.”

Rookie right-hander Ramon Martinez had his third consecutive unimpressive outing as the Dodgers lost to the Reds, 10-9, dropping their spring record to 4-8. He gave up four runs, two of them earned, in three innings, and further weakened his bid for the fifth starting job. Said pitching Coach Ron Perranoski: “He showed a little bit better curveball today, but he still has a lot of work to do on mechanics. It’s going to take time.” His ERA is 7.71.

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Alejandro Pena, who had been unhittable in three earlier appearances, also was ineffective. He yielded three runs, two of them earned, in one inning. . . . Alfredo Griffin cooled off a bit, settling for a one-for-three day that dropped his average from .567 to .545. . . . Mickey Hatcher had this to say about Fernando Valenzuela’s pitching performance: “He had some good stuff, especially after some fan yelled, “Get that hot stuff off the ball.”

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