Worrell Talks Togetherness

Todd Worrell, fearful that the Dodgers’ lack of cohesiveness could again impair their chances of reaching the World Series, held a 15-minute meeting with his teammates the other day.

The veteran closer, sensing that the team again had broken into cliques, talked in a closed-door meeting.

“It was something that needed to be said,” Worrell said. “When you’re not together, it detracts from what this game is all about.

“I don’t expect the season to start and a light to go off and we’re all lovey-dovey. You’re not going to have all 25 guys getting along without any conflicts. But if you can work through that, and leave it off the field, we’ll be all right.”

The Dodgers, who have failed to win a playoff game since 1988, say it can be a struggle at times to be cohesive because of the diverse cultures and languages in the clubhouse.

“I think it certainly makes it more difficult with the international flavor in here,” Worrell said. “We have different cultures, different ways of living, and we don’t always see eye to eye. But just like any relationship, it takes time and effort. That’s what we have to work on around here.”

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The Dodgers will have a club-record payroll of $43.985 million, according to figures provided by the players’ association and the player relations committee.

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Infielder Chad Fonville, who was assured of making the team when the second baseman Nelson Liriano was put on the disabled list because of shoulder tendinitis, had a close call himself Monday.

He crashed into the center-field fence in the eighth inning on a line-drive hit by Kelly Gruber in the Dodgers’ 5-4 exhibition victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Fonville cracked his lip, fell to the ground and “saw stars for five seconds or so.”

Liriano is scheduled to return April 8. The Dodgers then will decide whether to keep Fonville.