Dreifort, Brown Watch Begins Again

The Dodgers believe they’re back on track after winning 92 games last season and ending years of distracting front-office folly.

“I heard in different circles that it would take us up to seven years to dig out from underneath all the different things,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “At this point, you would have to say that we’re way, way ahead of schedule.”

On the other hand, the club also struggled after the All-Star break for the second time in as many seasons under Tracy, failed to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season despite the major leagues’ third-highest payroll (more than $120 million) while the Angels spent $43 million less in winning the World Series.

The bar still isn’t where it used to be at Chavez Ravine, and raising it higher may depend on injury-plagued starting pitchers Kevin Brown and Darren Dreifort.

The talented right-handers have been sidelined most of the last two seasons, and although the Dodgers have managed without them, they could use both now because of rotation concerns. Brown and Dreifort have been medically cleared to participate in spring training, but the Dodgers don’t know what to expect from them.

There’s also uncertainty off the field as News Corp. attempts to sell the franchise. Determined to stay under the new $117-million luxury-tax threshold, the Dodgers made cost-conscious moves to bolster a batting order that flourished against left-handed pitching and often flopped against right-handers, making All-Star first baseman Fred McGriff the centerpiece of the plan. But even if McGriff and other newcomers fit nicely around franchise player Shawn Green, Brown and Dreifort are considered the key pieces to the puzzle.

As pitchers and catchers begin workouts today at Dodgertown, the Dodgers find themselves in uncharted waters as the Southland’s No. 2 baseball team, hoping to reclaim their standing and win a playoff game for the first time in 15 years. They’re confident it will happen sooner if Brown and Dreifort contribute.

“Clearly, a lot of the focus is on the health of Brown and the health of Dreifort,” General Manager Dan Evans said. “You could make an emotional move and say, ‘Hey, everything we’re hearing sounds great, so they must be OK.’ In reality, though, we really won’t know until the middle stages of spring training. No matter how optimistic we are, and I believe there is reason for optimism, we’re just going to have to let their bodies make the decisions for us.”

Hideo Nomo and Odalis Perez are entrenched as the top two starters, but the remaining three rotation spots are not firm.

At least one hole opened with the departure of versatile left-hander Omar Daal, who signed with the Baltimore Orioles. Daal bailed out the club while Brown repeatedly moved on and off the active roster, pitching 161 1/3 innings, appearing in 39 games, including 23 starts. Someone has to replace those innings.

The rotation could face another shortfall if Kazuhisa Ishii, who was struck by a line drive and had a titanium plate inserted into his head last season, struggles. Evans said the Dodgers are not worried about Ishii because “he feels absolutely fine and there have been no issues with him at all.”

But even before the injury, Ishii had trouble with his command. Although the left-hander went 14-10 with a 4.27 earned-run average in his rookie season, he walked 106 in 154 innings and went 3-5 with a 5.57 ERA in the second half.

Andy Ashby also faded down the stretch, going 0-3 with a 7.94 ERA in September while pitching with a large blister.

If Ishii’s wildness continues and Ashby’s blister becomes a recurring problem, the Dodgers may need big contributions from both Brown and Dreifort.

“You’d be lying if you said it wouldn’t be a downer if they weren’t healthy,” catcher Paul Lo Duca said. “Brownie is an unbelievable pitcher and Dreif has some of the best stuff in the game. It would hurt the team.”

Brown, who underwent surgery for a herniated disk in his lower back last June, has been on the disabled list six times in the previous three seasons, including twice in 2002 because of elbow problems. After working at least 230 innings from 1996 through 2000, the five-time All-Star has pitched 179 1/3 innings combined the last two seasons and won 13 games.

Oh, and the Dodgers still owe Brown, who turns 38 in March, $45 million over the next three years.

“We know what this man is capable of doing when he’s healthy, we’ve all seen it, but he hasn’t been to that level because of the injuries,” Tracy said of Brown, who was 3-4 with a 4.81 ERA in 17 appearances last season. “When you have a Kevin Brown, you know what you can expect, but you can’t expect that if he’s not himself physically.”

Tracy said team trainer Stan Johnston recently met with Brown and a specialist in Denver to gauge the pitcher’s progress and finalize a plan for spring training, but Brown is not scheduled to arrive at Dodgertown until Monday. The mandatory reporting date is Feb. 26 and Brown has not shown up early since joining the club in 1999. However, given the Dodgers’ situation, wouldn’t they rather have him in camp as soon as possible?

“I know that there’s a birthday in the family,” Tracy said. “This is not something that’s new, and it’s not something we worry about. It’s not an issue for me.”

Likewise, Evans isn’t worried about Brown’s schedule because “he knows what he has to do to get ready, and our guys have done a real good job of staying in touch with him.”

Dreifort arrived early and eager to work.

He hasn’t pitched in a game since suffering a torn muscle in his reconstructed pitching elbow on June 29, 2001. While rehabilitating from his second major elbow surgery, Dreifort underwent right-knee surgery for the second time.

Some in the organization believe Dreifort shouldn’t be a reliever because his knee and elbow may not respond well to the increased workload, prompting Tracy to say Dreifort would be viewed as the No. 5 starter as spring training begins. But Wednesday, Tracy said all options are on the table.

“You can look at it both ways,” Dreifort said of his possible role. “The ups and the downs [in the bullpen] and the number of games you can compile are certainly going to put a lot of stress on it. Then again, if you talk about throwing 120 pitches in a game [starting], or whatever that number might be, that puts a lot of stress on it too. You’ve just got to wait and see.”

Dreifort, 31, has four victories in the first two seasons of a five-year, $55-million contract. The former No. 2 overall draft pick is 43-52 with a 4.38 ERA in eight-plus seasons.

“Nobody is going to put more pressure on me than I do on myself, so the outside influences don’t really factor into my practice or my performance or anything like that,” he said. “The question is going to be not just how my knee and my elbow feel, but if they both feel great, do they hold up during the course of the season? I hope it’s not an issue.”