Luke Saves Old Roommate

As Arizona third baseman Andy Fox drifted over to the Dodger dugout in the fifth inning Sunday in pursuit of a foul ball hit by Adrian Beltre, Fox knew he was running out of room.

But he kept his eye on the ball and caught it before tumbling into the dugout.

And then he was caught by a Dodger.

Who was it?

Who else but Matt Luke, Fox’s roommate in double A, his roommate in triple A, and the man at whose wedding Fox served as an usher last November.

“I would have done it for anybody,” Luke said. “Sitting on the bench, I saw what was about to happen. I waited until he made the play or didn’t make the play and then I stepped in to prevent injury.

“We’re competing out there and I don’t want to help the other team. I don’t feel I helped the other team.”

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Catcher Charles Johnson’s wife, Rhonda, expecting the couple’s first child, went into labor before Sunday afternoon’s game.

Johnson missed the game, but Dodger Manager Glenn Hoffman had already decided to give the catcher a rest and start Tom Prince.

“She called me before the game and asked me if this was a good time,” joked Hoffman.

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Second baseman Eric Young, who has missed 15 games because of a right leg strain, will test his leg in a workout Tuesday in Philadelphia where the Dodgers will open a three-game series.

Young is eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday, but he is not expected to return to action until later in the week after experiencing discomfort in the injured area.

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Dodger batting-practice pitcher Juarrez Orman had quite a day on Saturday. He pitched to both sides in a nine-inning media game that preceded the Dodger game, went to San Gabriel to pitch seven innings in a 35-and-over league, then returned to Dodger Stadium in the late afternoon to throw regular batting practice.

That figures out to about 32 innings of work for one day. Orman may not have pitched at full strength except in his league game, but that’s still the equivalent of three and one-half games.

So much for those insist modern arms must adhere to a 100-pitch limit.

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The Philadelphia series will be the start of a 10-day trip for the Dodgers where they’ll play three against the Phillies, four against Mike Piazza, Hideo Nomo and the rest of the New York Mets and three in Montreal.

The Dodgers return home to face the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 7.