BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Seanez Has a Sore Back, Can’t Pitch

Rudy Seanez was unable to pitch batting practice Monday because his back stiffened while he was warming up.

Seanez said he may need as much as a week of rest to recuperate, which could affect his chances of making the team.

“I’ve been through this before,” Seanez said. “I think I just need to shut it down. It feels fine until I start throwing. Then it hurts.”

According to Dodger assistant trainer Charlie Strasser, Seanez is being re-evaluated daily. “It’s not getting worse, it’s just stiffness at this point,” Strasser said.

Seanez was on the disabled list for the first month of last season with the Cleveland Indians because of a similar problem. The injury was caused by a change in his delivery after he was hit in the arm by a line drive during spring training.

Tim Belcher will not accompany the Cincinnati Reds to Dodgertown Friday for the second exhibition game. He says he sends his best--even if he still thinks the Dodgers made a bad trade.

“I’ve got nothing but good things to say about the organization,” Belcher said from the Reds’ Plant City site. “I even stopped by this winter to thank Mr. (Peter) O’Malley and Fred Claire. But I told Fred again, he made a bad trade. I have as much respect for him as anybody in baseball, but he made a bad trade.”

Belcher pointed to the statistics.

“Look at it objectively: He traded a 200-inning pitcher who is locked into the team for a couple of more years for an outfielder who played 89 games the year before and is going to be a free agent at the end of the year (Eric Davis). If you agree that pitching wins pennants, the trade doesn’t make sense.

“I still hope the Dodgers beat every other team this year . . . but one.”

Five young Dodgers signed Monday--Seanez, Dave Hansen, Eric Karros, Jose Offerman and Henry Rodriguez. That leaves Ramon Martinez as the only unsigned Dodger. His contract will be unilaterally renewed if he does not sign by Wednesday. . . . Darrell Evans, who hit 414 home runs in 21 seasons, is expected to join the Dodger organization today as batting coach at double-A San Antonio. . . . The Dodgers will play their first intrasquad game today, two days before the exhibition opener against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.