Johnson Gives Young a Chance to Recharge

Second baseman Eric Young was ready, telling Manager Davey Johnson his right calf strain wouldn’t prevent him from playing in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Montreal Expos.

The manager’s reply? Forget about it.

“E.Y. was making sounds in the training room about feeling better and wanting to play,” Johnson said of his leadoff batter. “He was tellin’ me, ‘Skip, I can run on this guy [Montreal catcher Chris Widger].’ I told him he was going to have a hard time running from where he’s sitting.”

Young was injured while stealing his major league-leading 18th base in the first inning of Monday’s 7-0 victory over the Expos. He was forced to leave the game.

Jose Vizcaino played second Tuesday. Shortstop Mark Grudzielanek started in the leadoff spot against his former team, going hitless in four at-bats. He’s expected to bat leadoff again tonight.

Young received treatment on his calf during Monday’s game and throughout the day Tuesday, saying the pain had subsided. The artificial surface at Olympic Stadium is considered among the worst in the National League, and Johnson feared Young would aggravate his injury.

Johnson plans to give Young the day off today in the final game of the three-game series. With the Dodgers off Thursday, Johnson hopes Young will be healed Friday for the beginning of three-game series against the Florida Marlins at Dodger Stadium.

“E.Y. is kind of like [Lenny] Dykstra was for me,” said Johnson, referring to the former all-star leadoff batter who played under Johnson with the New York Mets. “Guys like E.Y. and Dykstra are always giving 100%. They’re out there stealing a base, battling to get on, and that takes a lot of energy out of you.

“They’re always going, they’re burning bright, and they need time to recharge. To get the best out of them, you have to give them time off.”

Of course, Young doesn’t enjoy days off.

Young ranks first among National League leadoff batters with a .443 on-base percentage, and he said he needs to play as much as possible to remain in sync. But Young knows Johnson is the boss.

“Davey knows I want to be out there,” Young said. “But I know Davey isn’t going to take any chances.”

TODAY

DODGERS’ CARLOS PEREZ (1-3, 5.65 ERA)

vs.

EXPOS’ JAVIER VAZQUEZ (1-1, 4.45 ERA)

Olympic Stadium, 4 PDT

TV--Fox Sports West 2. Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

* Update--The Dodgers would finish 7-2 on the trip with a victory today, winning their three series. Perez is making his second start against his former club at Olympic Stadium. The left-hander struggled during his only outing against the Expos after being acquired in a trade last season, giving up eight hits and seven runs in a 9-0 loss. Perez is coming off his best outing of the season, earning his first victory against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. Perez went seven strong innings, giving up six hits and one run. He made a good impression on his return to the rotation after getting bumped for a start because of ineffectiveness. Perez worked with pitching coach Charlie Hough during his time off, refocusing on his approach against batters. Perez challenged the Phillies, throwing fastballs early in counts to set up his breaking pitches. Vazquez is 0-1 with a 9.00 earned-run average in one career appearance against the Dodgers.