Ward’s Attitude Remains Positive

General Manager Dan Evans told struggling utility player Daryle Ward to report to triple-A Las Vegas with a clear head and a positive attitude. Whether Ward’s bat remains sullen remains to be seen, but his frame of mind seems good, and he appears to have taken his demotion in stride.

“I feel pretty good about being here,” Ward told reporters at Cashman Field in Las Vegas after hitting a single in three at-bats in his first triple-A start Sunday. “I’m happy, I have a smile on my face. The rest of these guys are looking at me and seeing how I’m reacting to the situation because they might face this type of thing.

“I want to be a good example. I don’t want to be negative.... I’m not going to come here and pout. I’m the son of a baseball player [Gary Ward] and I just love to play. I’m going to enjoy myself no matter where I’m at.”

Ward, who has a guaranteed $1.35-million contract, was supposed to provide power off the bench, but he hit .183 in 109 at-bats, with no home runs and nine runs batted in. He declined to speak to reporters after being demoted following Wednesday’s game, but he eventually came to grips with the move.

“It’s better for me now,” Ward said. “I’m getting to play and that’s something I’ve always wanted to do my whole life, is just play. The big leagues are great and I know I belong there. But I have to come here for the time being and get myself ready to go back up and be competitive.”

Ward believes his struggles were more mental than mechanical, and he believes regular playing time, something the Dodgers can’t afford to give him now, will help.

“You get out one time and now you’re thinking, ‘What did I do wrong, what do I need to do to correct it?’ ” Ward said. “Sometimes you just get yourself out. You have to go up there and battle, and I have to get myself back into battle mode....

“I’m 28 and still pretty young. I need to see as many pitches as I can. I have to get that timing. Baseball is a lot about timing, and if you don’t get that many at-bats, you almost have to be perfect in order to get a hit.”

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Manager Jim Tracy had high praise for his shortstop Sunday after Cesar Izturis capped an outstanding defensive series with a superb ninth-inning play, ranging to the second-base side of second for Steve Finley’s leadoff grounder and throwing Finley out at first.

“We defend as well as any team in baseball because of our Gold Glove shortstop -- nobody fields in the National League like this guy,” Tracy said. “That play he made on Finley took the ninth inning away from them.”

Said Izturis: “It’s great to hear that, especially from the manager. What can I say? It makes you feel good.”

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Catcher Paul Lo Duca was hitless in 12 at-bats against Arizona, capping the three-game series by grounding into a double play to end the eighth inning Sunday, but he threw out two runners attempting to steal, one during an eighth inning in which the Diamondbacks had three baserunners.

“When you’re not getting any hits,” Lo Duca said, “you better do something to help the team out.”