Green Is Benched Again

Another major development occurred Wednesday in the Shawn Green saga as Manager Jim Tracy benched the struggling first baseman, offering no time frame for Green’s return to the lineup.

Tracy sat Green -- in a two-for-20 slump -- for the second time this season after watching the cleanup batter twice fail to produce with runners in scoring position in Tuesday’s 11-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants at SBC Park.

Summoned to a pre-game closed-door meeting, Green described the 45-minute session as “frustrating.”

Tracy declined to describe his view of the meeting but said he’d “like to think” it was productive.

“He’s the manager and he makes the lineup,” said Green, in the fifth year of a six-year, $84-million contract. “I’m just going to keep battling. I’ve been battling all year and I’m just going to keep working hard.

“The last couple of games I’ve had bad at-bats. Things have been getting better the last month. I had two bad games.”

Tracy said he believes the problem stems from a mechanical flaw in Green’s swing, which Green has tried to overcome. Tracy said Green would remain the cleanup batter once he returned to the lineup.

“I’m not fed up,” Tracy said. “I don’t get fed up with my players, especially when I know that they’re putting forth every effort to try to figure out what it is that they need to do to get themselves going.

“I hurt for this player as much as I’m sure he’s hurting right now in trying to get to the point where he knows he needs to be. There are peaks and valleys involved with any offensive player, but we’ve been in a valley now for quite a long period of time.”

Tracy and Green have been at odds over Tracy’s handling of Green’s slump. Less than 24 hours after saying he didn’t believe Green’s slide warranted a day off, Tracy benched Green, then in a two-for-16 skid, before a 7-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on May 22.

Green had also expressed frustration about being moved to other spots in the batting order. He is batting .251 with nine home runs and 33 runs batted in. The two-time All-Star is batting .222 with runners in scoring position.

“When I’ve been hitting well, I’ve been hitting well in different situations. When I’ve been hitting poorly, I’ve been hitting poorly in different situations,” Green said. “After having a few at-bats where you don’t get the guy in, you press a little bit the next time you get in the situation. That’s just human nature.

“Once I get the feel, things will be a lot better. That’s the type of hitter I am. I’m a feel hitter. One little click and everything changes. Obviously, the only way to get going again is to be in the lineup. But there’s not much I can say when I haven’t had a good start to the season.”

Green appeared as a pinch-hitter Wednesday in the ninth inning and singled off Matt Herges with two out.

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Setup man Guillermo Mota has apparently remained among the Oakland Athletics’ top targets to address their bullpen problems, sources said.

The Dodgers have rejected the Athletics’ trade overtures for Mota, who might eventually move into the closer role if the club cannot reach an extension agreement with Eric Gagne, the 2003 National League Cy Young Award winner.

Oakland General Manager Billy Beane is a mentor and friend of Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta, who formerly served as Beane’s top assistant.

DePodesta acquired reserve outfielder Jason Grabowski from Oakland in spring training.

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Center fielder Milton Bradley was removed from the starting lineup because of stiffness in his right shoulder.... Reliever Paul Shuey gave up two hits and a run in two innings in a rehabilitation appearance for the club’s rookie-league team in Ogden, Utah.

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Slumping

Shawn Green, above, was benched for Wednesday’s game against San Francisco. Green has the highest career batting average (.311) of any current Dodger against the Giants:

*--* 2004 AB H HR RBI AVG. 27 6 1 3 222 CAREER AB H HR RBI AVG. 280 87 11 42 311

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