Cedeno Is Thrilled to Be Back

The right hamstring injury wasn’t the most painful part for Dodger outfielder Roger Cedeno.

Longing to rejoin his teammates was tougher.

Cedeno’s frustration ended Friday night when he made his season debut. He said his return couldn’t have been better.

“It was great to be back after everything,” he said. “I took me a long time to get back here, and it was hard to be away from my teammates.

“I was down in Vero Beach for so long, I didn’t know when I could get back to help my teammates. I would watch them on TV, and I knew I couldn’t help. I wanted to get back quickly, but I’m ready now.”

Cedeno started in center field and batted second in the Dodgers’ 12-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. He singled, walked three times and had an RBI in five at-bats.

Moreover, Cedeno said he didn’t experience pain in his hamstring, which sidelined him for the first 20 games.

“I’m not worried about it--I’m 100%,” said Cedeno, who suffered the injury March 1 in a spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at Vero Beach.

“I got upset when I tried to rush back and hurt myself again, but nothing is wrong now. I can do everything.”

That’s good news, Manager Bill Russell said.

“We need his speed at the top of the lineup,” he said. “With him and [Eric Young], we’ve got guys up there who can get on base and make things happen, so teams have to pitch to [Mike] Piazza.

“That was the plan we had during spring training, but we didn’t get a chance to use it. Now, we can see how it looks.”

Cedeno realizes the importance of his role.

The Dodger offense has been inconsistent, and team officials expect improvement with Cedeno and first baseman Eric Karros, who played in his first game Saturday night, having returned to the lineup.

Batting in front of Piazza should help Cedeno. But he will need to get comfortable again, hitting instructor Reggie Smith said.

“Fatigue is the thing you have to watch for in the beginning,” he said. “The game is played faster, and the pitching is obviously better, than what he faced [during his rehabilitation assignment].”

Cedeno said he struggled in the past because he put pressure on himself, and he won’t make that mistake this time.

“I’m not going to worry about anything or try to do too much,” he said. “I’m just going to play hard.”

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The Dodgers expect touted rookie Paul Konerko to return soon.

Konerko was sent to triple-A Albuquerque on Friday to make room for Karros on the 25-man roster. He was batting only .197 without an extra-base hit and only two RBIs in 61 at-bats.

“He just needs to go down there and get some at-bats and work through it,” Russell said. “It happens to a lot of guys. . . . It happened to me. He’s going to come back a better player.”

Smith is equally confident in Konerko, who was selected the 1997 minor league player of the year.

“He has one of the best swings, and best idea of what to do at the plate, in probably anybody I’ve seen since Tony Conigliaro,” he said. “It’s just a matter of him relaxing, and doing the things he knows he can.

“He was in a situation where we’ve been struggling, and a tremendous amount of responsibility was put on him. But this kid can flat-out hit, and he’s going to be a good hitter in this league for a long time.”

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Sandy Koufax, the Dodger Hall of Fame left-hander, has seen many changes in baseball throughout his lifetime.

The sale of the Dodgers was not among the things Koufax expected--but times have changed.

“I’m happy for Peter [O’Malley] because this is what he wanted,” Koufax said of the sale of the franchise to the Fox Group.

“I know times are changing, but they did things so differently for so many years. I don’t think anyone can do it that way anymore. The losses have to come out of your pocket, so you better have awfully deep pockets.”

Koufax said his first contract was for $6,000 per year, with a $14,000 signing bonus.

TODAY

DODGERS’ RAMON MARTINEZ (2-2, 3.27 ERA) vs. CUBS’ STEVE TRACHSEL (3-1, 3.38 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 1 p.m.

Radio--AM 1150, KWKW (1330).

* Update--Martinez gave up two home runs Tuesday in a 5-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. But opponents are batting .183 against him, second lowest in the National League, and he is tied for fourth in the league with 29 strikeouts. Trachsel has been the Cubs’ most consistent starter, and he is batting .625 (five for eight) with three RBIs.

Tickets--(213) 224-1448.