Lo Duca to Bat Third, With Karros Seventh

Dodger Manager Jim Tracy has finally settled on a lineup, one with two mild surprises: Paul Lo Duca will bat third, behind Dave Roberts and Cesar Izturis, and Eric Karros, who has been a heart-of-the-order hitter for most of his career but is coming off a career-worst season, will bat seventh.

Lo Duca will be followed by Shawn Green, Brian Jordan, Adrian Beltre, Karros and Mark Grudzielanek, an alignment Tracy used in Wednesday’s 8-4 exhibition loss to Montreal and probably will employ Tuesday against San Francisco.

“Eric Karros is coming off a tough season, and I want to give him an opportunity to get himself started and not have people criticizing him,” Tracy said. “And it’s time for Beltre to step up a bit. Plus, there are six guys who can run at the top of the order. If an outfielder misses a cutoff man, we’re going to take a base. You make a mistake, we’re going to grab hold of you.”

Tracy believes Lo Duca will help the Dodgers manufacture runs. If Roberts, for instance, leads off with a walk, steals second and is advanced to third by Izturis, Lo Duca makes the kind of consistent contact required to score a runner from third with less than two out. Lo Duca struck out only 30 times in 460 at-bats last season.

“A run early in the game is very important, and I don’t want Shawn Green to feel compelled to change his approach [to score a runner from third],” Tracy said. “He’ll have several more run-producing opportunities because of the guys in front of him.

“We’re a little more athletic, a little faster than we were a year ago. I read a lot of articles about how bad our on-base percentage was at the top of the order. When you see something that’s not working, you have to do something to change it.”

Karros, who hit .235 with 15 home runs and 63 runs batted in last season but played with a lower-back injury, did not consider the demotion a blow to his ego.

“My pride went out the window last year; that’s not an issue,” said Karros, who is hitting .153 with no homers and three RBIs this spring. “I have no argument. If I was managing this team, my lineup would be the same as it was [Wednesday]. My job right now is to be the best No. 7 hitter in the league.”

Most teams place their best hitter in the No. 3 spot, but Lo Duca, who hit .320 with 25 homers and 90 RBIs during a breakthrough 2001 season, won’t change his approach.

“I can’t put that kind of pressure on myself, because I’d struggle,” said Lo Duca, who homered Wednesday. “I’m just going to go about my business the way I have. If I have to bunt a guy to third, I’ll do it. Whatever the situation calls for, I’ll do it. I’m not going to try to shoulder the whole team.”

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General Manager Dan Evans had a lengthy conversation Wednesday with the agent for pitcher Omar Daal, who requested a trade after being told he would start the season in the bullpen. Evans’ message to Peter Greenberg: Daal isn’t going anywhere, unless the Dodgers get a quality starting pitcher in return.

“I explained to him that it’s not in the best interest of the Dodgers to move him right now unless the situation is right,” Evans said. “It’s inevitable that he’ll pitch for us this year. We think he has value, particularly with two starters [Kevin Brown and Andy Ashby] coming off elbow surgery.

“I’m not actively moving Omar Daal. That wasn’t the answer [Greenberg] wanted to hear ... but without a starter ready to come up from the minor leagues right now, it’s imperative for us to protect our starting pitching depth.”

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Reliever Matt Herges has recovered from the shock of Saturday’s trade that sent him from the Dodgers to the Expos. But much like a visit from his cancer-surviving brother helped him cope with the frustration of his failed contract negotiations with the Dodgers earlier this spring, it took another life-altering event for Herges to come to grips with the deal.

“I found out the other day that my wife [Jane] is pregnant,” Herges said. “I was talking to her before a game and she said she got something for me. I opened the bag, and it was a little baby shirt. I lost it. I felt like an idiot because I was hugging and bawling with my wife in front of all these fans. Once again, it put things in perspective. The world is caving in on you, you go to a new team in a new country, and then this happened.”

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Alex Cora, who lost his job to Izturis but will make the team as a utility infielder, continued to impress the Dodgers with his defense, ranging deep into the hole at short to field Chris Truby’s fourth-inning grounder Wednesday and making a long, accurate throw to first.... Hiram Bocachica had two hits, including a home run, and appears to be the leading candidate over Mike Kinkade, Tom Goodwin and McKay Christensen for the final roster spot.... Reliever Guillermo Mota, acquired from Montreal in the Herges trade, gave up six runs and four hits in the sixth inning.