DODGERS : Worrell: Shoulder Is Fine After Throwing

For now, the day Todd Worrell throws is not as important as the day after, when he learns how his shoulder responds.

Worrell participated in pitching drills Thursday and was glad to report that he felt no soreness in his right shoulder after having thrown off the mound Wednesday for the first time this spring. He will throw again today.

“The most encouraging thing right now, apart from the velocity and even getting on the mound, is how my arm is bouncing back the next day,” Worrell said. “I had relatively no discomfort (Thursday) and, to me, that is more encouraging because I see my job as more of a durability type. So far, it’s been very positive the following days after everything I have done in my workout.”

In mid-January, about a month after the Dodgers had signed Worrell to a three-year contract worth $9.5 million, an exam indicated tendinitis in his right shoulder, a condition he had pitched with periodically last season with the St. Louis Cardinals but one that had worsened in the off-season.

“The times that I did have irritation when I pitched last year, I still pitched at full speed,” Worrell said. “I’m not at a point to throw full speed yet and right now is not the time to test it. But another three weeks down the line here, I could probably be pretty close to throwing full speed and then I will know how the irritation feels.”

Worrell said the shoulder is about 75% better than it was a month ago, which means the irritation occurs less frequently. He described it as more of a twinge, not pain, that he feels periodically when he throws. Before he began his rehabilitation program, however, it was a constant discomfort that kept him awake at night and bothered him even when he wasn’t using his arm.

“I may not ever get rid of all of the irritation,” Worrell said. “I may have to go with a little bit of irritation here or there, like I did last year. But I think if things keep improving the way they are, I am optimistic that I will be pitching this year relatively irritation free.”

A brush fire erupted behind the left-field fence on Field 1 Thursday, bringing batting practice to a halt and filling the air with thick smoke. Firefighters responded and so did Mike Vizvary of the Dodgers’ publicity department. He grabbed Worrell, put him in a fire hat, gave him an ax and took his picture on the truck. The Dodgers can only hope Worrell will be healthy enough to put out the fire in his relief role.

Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ executive vice president, personally summoned Eric Karros to his office Thursday morning to talk about his contract.

Karros, last season’s National League rookie of the year, is still unsigned and was seeking a one-year contract for around $500,000, a slight improvement over the second-year salary awarded Dodger pitcher Ramon Martinez in 1991.

But during the meeting, Karros told Claire that second-year center fielder Kenny Lofton had been signed by the Cleveland Indians late Wednesday to a four-year $6.3 million contract, which could change the picture dramatically.

Lofton was runner-up last season to American League Rookie of the Year Pat Listach, of the Milwaukee Brewers. Lofton’s contract will pay him $425,000 this season, which includes a quarter of his $100,000 signing bonus, with the remainder to be paid over the next three years.