Team Gives Praise to a New Attitude

The Dodgers faltered after previous strong starts recently, last qualifying for the National League playoffs in 1996.

They’ve opened well again, 12-7 after Tuesday’s loss, marking their best start since 1988.

The Dodgers said there was a new attitude in the clubhouse that they believed would help them overcome problems of the past.

“The last few years, there were a lot of games that we just didn’t lose, it seems like we didn’t really show up,” first baseman Shawn Green said. “There were just some bad games where some guys seemed to just be going through the motions, and that hasn’t happened so far.”

Green said finally having a major league offense has breathed life into the previously listless Dodgers.

“There haven’t been those dead games with those 1-2-3 innings over and over again,” he said.

“It just feels a lot different around here.”

The Dodgers’ confidence has been high since they went 6-3 on their trip to San Diego, San Francisco and Colorado.

“I don’t care what anyone wants to say about the Giants right now, I don’t care what type of team they have, you just don’t go into San Francisco and sweep them like we did,” catcher Paul Lo Duca said. “There’s just a lot of confidence in here, and it’s good, cocky confidence.”

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The Dodgers are hopeful starter Kazuhisa Ishii turned a corner in Sunday’s 9-0 victory over San Francisco.

The left-hander had his first shutout and complete game in the major leagues, pitching a four-hitter.

“To beat the Giants that way, it did a lot for his confidence and the confidence of the team,” Lo Duca said.

“We all have confidence in everyone in here, but it’s important that Kaz have confidence in himself.

“He’s one of those guys who, if he doesn’t do something right, he takes it personally. He’s really hard on himself, so that’s big for him. Real big.”

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The Dodgers are short a position player because they’re carrying 12 pitchers on the 25-man roster, so Manager Jim Tracy said he would consider using a pitcher as a pinch-hitter early in games.

Reliever Darren Dreifort has six career home runs and 23 runs batted in, making him an obvious choice for the assignment. Tracy said Dreifort would be used on days the right-hander would be unavailable to pitch.