Starters’ Success Has Been Well-Received

Catcher Paul Lo Duca occupies the best position to observe the National League’s top rotation.

The five-man group leads the major leagues with 33 quality starts in the Dodgers’ first 44 games, and Lo Duca’s game calling and receiving have contributed to the impressive run.

“The way I call a game and handle my pitchers, I really take that seriously and look at it as a big responsibility,” said Lo Duca, in his third season as the everyday catcher. “They have confidence in me and we work well together [in games], which is a big part of a catcher’s relationship with pitchers.”

Lo Duca is on good terms with the entire staff, which has the major leagues’ lowest earned-run average, but his relationship is especially strong with the starters, who lead the NL in earned-run average at 3.20 and are second overall to the Oakland Athletics.

Kevin Brown, Darren Dreifort, Kazuhisa Ishii, Hideo Nomo and Odalis Perez trust Lo Duca, and it shows on the field.

“The guys usually don’t shake me off, but part of that is because they believe in their stuff,” Lo Duca said. “It might not be the right pitch, but they’ll say, ‘Well, Paulie likes it here, so let’s go with it.’

“I know what they want to do with certain guys, and I’ll give suggestions too. I’ve been in the league for four years now, so guys trust me. I’ll just see things and I’ll go talk to them. When you catch the best staff in baseball, it’s really pretty simple.”

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All-Star right fielder Shawn Green, batting .241 in May, broke out of a slump last season in a record-setting game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, so it figured many would point to the schedule with Green struggling again.

The Brewers play host to the Dodgers in a three-game series that begins Friday, but Green isn’t among those focused on the calendar.

“What happens one year really doesn’t have anything to do with what might happen the next year,” said Green, who went six for six, hit four home runs and set a major league record with 19 total bases last May 23 at Milwaukee.

“I’ve had success there, so everyone is kind of riding me by saying, ‘We’re going to Milwaukee, we’re going to Milwaukee, so don’t worry.’ That’s not the way it really works, but hopefully it can be an exciting place for me again.”

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Utilityman Jolbert Cabrera had two hits, including his third homer, and drove in two runs in Saturday’s 4-1 victory over the Florida Marlins, but was not in the lineup Sunday as the Dodgers swept the three-game series with a 2-1 win.

With third baseman Adrian Beltre batting only .190, there would seemingly be more opportunities for the productive Cabrera, hitting .279. But pitching and defense are most important to the Dodgers, Manager Jim Tracy said.

“Adrian Beltre is playing Gold Glove-caliber defense,” Tracy said. “There has not been one situation where Adrian has taken a bad at-bat, or bad series of at-bats, out into the field. He’s been fantastic defensively.”

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All-Star closer Eric Gagne often appears to labor in pain while converting saves, but Lo Duca said Dodger fans shouldn’t be concerned.

“I noticed that too,” Lo Duca said, smiling. “He’s been doing that, and I’ve been ripping on him a little lately about it, saying he’s turned into Nolan Ryan.

“Nolan was the king of looking like he was laboring out there, and he’d be throwing 98 [mph]. He’s fine.”