Cedeno Getting His Chance, but This One Is All Giants

Outfielder Roger Cedeno no longer conceals his frustration about his role with the Dodgers.

The three-year veteran has often struggled while playing infrequently, failing to fulfill expectations of club officials in the former regime. Cedeno said he hasn’t been used correctly, and he hopes that the new decision makers have noticed his recent performance.

Cedeno and his teammates had a bad time in an embarrassing 18-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at 3Com Park.

An enthusiastic crowd of 41,671 watched the Giants hit four home runs--including two grand slams--against four of six Dodger pitchers as they moved within three games of the front-running Chicago Cubs and New York Mets in the National League wild-card race.

The Dodgers were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention the night before, and they played as though they had nothing at stake Saturday in the worst loss of the season.

Right-hander Ismael Valdes (10-10) had one of the poorest outings of his career, giving up nine hits--including a grand slam by Bill Mueller in the third--and seven runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Jeff Kent hit the Giants’ second grand slam, and his 29th homer, against rookie reliever Mike Judd in the fourth, giving San Francisco a 13-0 lead. Judd gave up four hits and six runs in 1 1/3 innings. That support was more than enough for rookie right-hander Russ Ortiz (3-4), who gave up 11 hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers have seven games remaining, and each is important for Cedeno to make a favorable impression on new General Manager Kevin Malone. Cedeno has shuttled between triple-A Albuquerque and the Dodger bench most of his career, and he said that’s no longer acceptable.

“I would understand if it had been one year, but it’s been three years now,” said Cedeno, 24. “I work hard to show what I can do, but then I’m back on the bench.

“It gets kind of frustrating. You can’t show what you can do when you play one day, then you don’t play the next day. All I want to do is play every day, then I can show what I can do, like now.”

He has started in 10 of the Dodgers’ last 15 games because outfielder Gary Sheffield is sitting out the remainder of the season because of a sprained left ankle. Cedeno has batted .333 (13 for 39) with nine runs in the last 12 games. Overall, he’s batting .259 (55 for 212)

Cedeno started in center field Saturday. He singled and scored a run in five at-bats. He has been batting in the leadoff spot because second baseman Eric Young has a broken right foot.

“Roger has been as good as I’ve ever seen him at this level,” Manager Glenn Hoffman said. “He obviously feels more confident, and he’s out to prove something to himself and everybody else.”

The Dodgers have expected big things from Cedeno since they signed the Venezuelan native at 16.

He moved swiftly through the minor league system, stealing at least 23 bases five times and twice batting above .300 at Albuquerque. Cedeno split the 1995, ’96 and ’97 seasons between Albuquerque and Los Angeles.

Cedeno entered spring training as the everyday center fielder this season, but he suffered a left hamstring injury and began the season on the disabled list. When he returned, he was playing catch-up.

And Cedeno said he had a bigger problem: former manager Bill Russell.

Cedeno believes Russell didn’t want him in the lineup and that Russell gave him limited opportunities because other club officials wanted Cedeno to succeed. That made an already stressful situation worse.

“I don’t know why he didn’t [want me to play], but I don’t think he wanted me to,” Cedeno said of Russell, who was fired June 21. “Maybe he was scared, I don’t know, but I know I wouldn’t be playing like I’m playing now [if Russell still managed the team].

“If I was playing three months ago like I’m playing now, I wouldn’t be in the lineup if I made one mistake. How can you get better if you’re out of the lineup [after] one mistake? Next year, all I want is the same chance.”