Young Hopes to Return Soon

Dodger second baseman Eric Young is optimistic about the sore left ankle that kept him out of the lineup.

“I’m feeling better,” Young said. “[The ankle] has responded very well to treatment.”

The injury, which occurred last week in St. Louis, had Young in the trainer’s room but nevertheless hopeful that he will play at some point in a three-game series beginning Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds.

Manager Davey Johnson remains inclined to wait a little longer, at least until the Dodgers leave the artificial surface at Cinergy Field and move on to the more-forgiving grass in Atlanta.

“We’ll see how good the three days off will be,” Johnson said. “You don’t want to strain it now.”

Tripp Cromer, filling in at second base, can’t match Young’s speed but drove in the Dodgers’ first run on Sunday, giving him an RBI in two consecutive games.

“Any time you can help, it’s always fun,” Cromer said.

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Catcher Angel Pena and center fielder Trenidad Hubbard, both recalled from triple-A Albuquerque last Tuesday, started against the Cardinals while Todd Hollandsworth was back on the bench, looking for another chance to crack the lineup.

Hollandsworth responded to a surprise start at first base Saturday night by going two for five with his first home run of the season.

“He’s been great,” Johnson said. “I’m just trying to get him more regular starts and I’ll be getting him more as the season goes along.”

Johnson figures to put Hollandsworth back in familiar territory in the outfield. Hollandsworth, who made his first major league start at first after playing there in a handful of spring training games, will take anything he can get.

“Whatever it takes to get me in the lineup,” he said. “The guys made me feel real comfortable, The longer I was out there, the better it felt.”

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With Mark McGwire in town the last three days, it’s only natural that Raul Mondesi would hear a few questions about his home run hitting prowess. The Dodger outfielder, who has seven homers in his last 11 games for a National League-leading 16, prefers to avoid the topic.

On McGwire, he said, “He’s a normal guy, like everyone else.”

On the long ball: “I don’t want to talk about homers. I did that two years ago and I was in a slump for two weeks.”