BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Ashley Gets Pep Talk From Karros

Left fielder Billy Ashley, who has been benched since the All-Star break in favor of rookie Todd Hollandsworth, received a rare start Saturday when Roberto Kelly was scratched from the starting lineup because of a bruised foot.

“It’s been tough,” Ashley said, “but what are you going to do?”

Ashley’s frustrations have been somewhat eased by a recent heart-to-heart talk with first baseman Eric Karros. Karros also experienced the pain of losing his starting job his first year, only to regain it a week later and win rookie-of-the-year honors in 1992.

“I basically told him don’t give anybody an excuse for you not to play,” Karros said. “The worst thing you can do is to have a bad attitude. Keep coming out here early all the time. You’ve got to be ready when they call you.

“He’s got to keep working hard because if the opportunity isn’t here, it’s going to be somewhere else. He’s got to prove he can play in the major leagues.

“I still think good things will happen to him. By no means does an organization invest eight years in a guy and give up on him two months later. You can’t teach that kind of power.”