BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Benzinger Believes He’s Odd Man Out

After two weeks of hearing everyone talk about the Dodgers’ three rotating first baseman, Todd Benzinger says he knows the truth.

“This is not a three-way platoon, it’s a two-way platoon . . . I only start if somebody is hurt, and I pinch-hit the other times,” Benzinger said. “It’s very difficult for me to do it this way, I would rather be the guy who plays every two or three days than do it this way.”

Benzinger said he has not complained, because he does not think things will continue this way the rest of the year.

“I don’t see them keeping all three of us during the year, I just don’t,” said Benzinger, a career .255 hitter who was acquired from the Kansas City Royals last winter for Chris Gwynn.

“I remember when I came here for my press conference, Fred Claire (Dodger vice president) asked me what the difference was when I hit .187 for Cincinnati and .294 for Kansas City last year,” he said. “I said the difference was, in Kansas City, I played every day. That’s why I’m not going to think of myself as a part-time player.”

Benzinger, a switch-hitter who bats better right-handed, has appeared in 14 games but has only three starts.

In those starts, he has three hits in 14 at-bats (.214). He has two doubles and has driven in two runs. Overall he is hitting .240, with two hits in eight pinch at-bats.

One of the surprises of the first two weeks is that Tom Candiotti, who has averaged nine wild pitches over his last six seasons, has yet to throw a wild pitch. “I guess people thought that every game I pitched would be chaos, but that’s not the way it is,” he said. “You know, I don’t throw all knuckleballs. And Mike Scioscia has been great on the ones that could have gotten away.” . . . In three starts, backup catcher Carlos Hernandez is batting .333. But he also has committed two errors and runners have stolen four bases.