BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : Nomo Rocked in Short Outing

Hideo Nomo gave up three home runs in his first 16 pitches and was rocked for seven hits and seven runs (six earned) in the Dodgers’ 10-5 defeat by the New York Mets on Wednesday at Vero Beach, Fla. Nomo was supposed to pitch four innings, but he was yanked after throwing 60 pitches in two innings.

“There’s no way of sugar-coating it,” Dodger catcher Mike Piazza said. “He didn’t throw well at all, obviously. I guess there’s no way of making excuses. It was just a bad outing.

“It might be that time of spring training where it’s a dead-arm period for a lot of guys.”

When former Angel Kevin Flora hit the second pitch of the game over the left-field fence, Nomo knew it would be one of those days.

He also has come to realize that even though it is only spring training, the importance of his outing will be greatly exaggerated.

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” he said, smiling. “There are things I can learn from giving up hits.”

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First baseman Eric Karros played in his first full game, a minor league intrasquad game.

Karros, batting leadoff every inning without running or playing in the field, showed little effect from his strained left hamstring. He hit the ball hard seven or eight times and had an opposite-field home run.

“I can’t get too excited because this isn’t the big leagues,” Karros said, “but I was very happy with the way everything went today.”

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Darren Dreifort pitched off a mound for the first time in two weeks, and reliever Scott Radinsky pitched off a mound for the first time since Feb. 20. Radinsky, who has yet to pitch in a spring-training game because of a strained middle finger, said he’ll be fine by opening day.