Roberts’ Hustle Wears Well

If there was a spot on Dave Roberts’ uniform that wasn’t soaked in dirt or sweat Saturday afternoon, it was difficult to find.

Roberts made a sliding catch on the warning track of Doug Glanville’s drive to left-center field in the first inning, he dived head-first into second on a stolen base in the fifth and a stolen-base attempt in the seventh, and he scored with a nice hook slide into the plate in the fifth.

The speedy leadoff batter, who had one hit in his previous 14 at-bats, snapped out of his funk with three singles, a walk and three runs in the Dodgers’ 10-5 victory over the Cubs, raising his average to a still-modest .252 but showing the kind of impact he can have on the offense.

“To have Roberts on base as much as he was today, it creates a lot of disturbance on the other side of the field,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “It gives us an opportunity to get the middle-of-the-order guys up with runners in scoring position.”

Roberts has struggled to repeat his breakout season (.277 average, .353 on-base percentage, 45 stolen bases) of 2002, primarily because of a hamstring injury that sidelined him for about two months. He has a .333 on-base percentage and has stolen 31 bases.

“But if I can play well for the next month and a half, that bodes well for this offense,” Roberts said. “You don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself, but I know when I’m on base I can steal a base and have a better chance of making things happen. I’m just trying to have good at-bats and not worry about the results.”

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Dodger pitcher Andy Ashby felt so ill Thursday he was unable to get out of bed and catch a flight from Miami to Chicago. Two days later, the veteran right-hander bounced into the Dodgers’ Wrigley Field clubhouse and headed right for the food room for a big breakfast.

“Thank God I’m feeling better -- I was miserable for a couple of days,” said Ashby, who joined the Dodgers on Saturday after missing Wednesday’s scheduled start against Florida because of an upper respiratory infection.

Ashby had a fever, sore throat, headache and trouble breathing, but he took a dramatic turn for the better Friday and hopes to play catch today. The Dodgers were on the verge of putting him on the disabled list Friday, but now it appears Ashby will be able to return next Friday or Saturday.

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Pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii, on the disabled list since Aug. 2 because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, had a vigorous 59-pitch bullpen workout Saturday, but pitching coach Jim Colborn said the left-hander will need at least two more side sessions before being activated.

That could push back Ishii’s projected return to Aug. 26, but with Wilson Alvarez pitching well and Ashby on the mend, Tracy sees no reason to rush Ishii back.

“His timing and rhythm were not on, but I think he’s progressing,” Colborn said.

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After giving up a pair of two-run homers to Aramis Ramirez and an RBI single to Kerry Wood in the first 2 2/3 innings Sunday, Dodger left-hander Odalis Perez retired 10 of 12 batters, his 6 1/3-inning effort evening his record at 9-9.... The Dodgers, in need of another fresh bullpen arm, optioned Masao Kida to triple-A Las Vegas and recalled left-hander Scott Mullen before Saturday’s game.... Wood’s 2 2/3-inning stint was his shortest since he went 1 1/3 innings against St. Louis on Sept. 22, 2000. Wood probably will miss his next start because of a lower-back injury.