Green Waiting for the Power to Kick In

All-Star right fielder Shawn Green has been through this too many times to panic, though he’s not exactly upbeat.

He’s off to another slow start with only four home runs and 17 runs batted in, and was not in the starting lineup Saturday after going two for 16 in the first four games of the trip. Green walked while pinch-hitting in the ninth inning of a 6-5 loss to the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium.

Green is following a familiar career pattern, which usually results in good things for him and the Dodgers. However, the path is bumpier than Green would prefer.

“It’s kind of like, ‘Well, here we go again,’ ” he said. “I wouldn’t say that it’s frustrating or anything like that, because I’ve had success before and I know it’s going to come. I know it’s going to happen.

“It’s just that it usually does take me a little while each year to get my home-run swing. That’s what’s happening again, but I don’t think it’s as bad as last year.”

After hitting only three homers in April, Green hit 10 in May and finished with a team-leading 42 homers, 114 RBIs and 110 runs. But his streaky power performance continued throughout the season, as Green hit 12 homers in June and 10 in August, but had only three in July and four in September.

“I just never seem to have those real even months,” said Green, who is batting .281. “Just like last season, it was either 10 or more or around three or four. A lot of guys consistently hit like seven every month, that’s the way you stay out of those extremes, but it doesn’t seem to work out that way for me.”

Manager Jim Tracy doesn’t mind.

“He’s the type of guy, like several great hitters are, that it takes him only one at-bat,” Tracy said. “It takes one at-bat for it to happen, and then all of sudden, we see a guy go on a tear. Then there is no safe place to pitch the guy.”

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Although switch-hitting shortstop Cesar Izturis batted only .195 left-handed last season, Tracy encouraged him to continue.

Izturis appears to be making strides from that side of the plate, hitting .250 with 11 RBIs after getting a hit and driving in a run from the left side Saturday. Since April 27, Izturis is batting .351 (13 for 37).

“I was holding firm to the idea that at 23 years of age, you continue to develop, you don’t take away,” Tracy said. “We’ve seen dramatic improvement, and it’s going to keep getting even better. He’s starting to become a very good left-handed hitter.”

The key to his recent success?

“I’m just listening to my coaches and I’m feeling good,” said Izturis, batting .254 overall. “That’s all it is.”

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Reliever Paul Shuey said he plans to test his sprained right knee in a bullpen session today. If all goes well, Shuey, who could have been activated from the disabled list Saturday, might face batters before being activated early next week. ... Second baseman Alex Cora was three for four Saturday and has six hits in his last seven at-bats.... Darren Dreifort said his right knee, wrapped because of soreness, did not cause problems in an 89-pitch, 66-strike start.... Montreal third baseman Fernando Tatis was scratched from the lineup because of a virus, a team spokesman said.