No Contract Talks for Tracy So Far

While expressing satisfaction with the way the Dodgers have played under Manager Jim Tracy the first month of the season, General Manager Paul DePodesta said Sunday he has no immediate plans to speak with Tracy about a contract extension. DePodesta added that he did not think the absence of a long-term deal would hinder Tracy’s standing with his players or his ability to guide the club as the season progressed.

“It certainly hasn’t been a distraction for him,” DePodesta said of Tracy, who is in the final year of his contract. “It’s the reality of the game, and a lot of teams have to deal with it every single year. At some point this is going to end up working itself out.”

Tracy, who declined to address his contract status, has guided the Dodgers (15-9) to one of the best records in baseball and their best start since 1988, when the club started 16-8 en route to winning the World Series. The Dodgers, tied with San Diego atop the National League West, have eight comeback victories and are 8-0 in one-run games.

“They’re finding a way to win, and good teams seem to do that,” DePodesta said.

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Tracy reopened the competition for the fifth starter spot less than 24 hours after Jose Lima delivered a second consecutive disappointing performance, including an unlikely contestant while removing a usual suspect. The manager said seldom-used reliever Brian Falkenborg would battle Lima and Wilson Alvarez for a spot start next weekend against the Pittsburgh Pirates while Edwin Jackson, anointed the fifth starter in spring training, would remain in triple-A.

Tracy said he would select a starter based on which candidate he felt matched up best against the Pirates. Whomever he selects would pitch Friday or Saturday, depending on whether Tracy decides to utilize today’s off day to give Hideo Nomo an extra day of rest after he threw 94 pitches Sunday during the Dodgers’ 6-4 loss to the Montreal Expos.

Tracy said Falkenborg, who allowed two hits and a run in two-thirds of an inning in his only appearance this season, is an attractive option because of his history as a starter.

“He’s a guy that would have pitched for the Seattle Mariners last year had they not gone through the season with the same five starters that they began the season with,” Tracy said.

Tracy said it was in Jackson’s best interests to remain in Las Vegas, where the 20-year-old could continue to log regular starts instead of sitting on the bench with the Dodgers and pitching sporadically. Jackson is 3-1 with a 6.29 earned-run average in five starts for the 51s.

The Dodgers had pinned Lima’s ineffectiveness during a 7-1 loss to Colorado on April 22, in which he gave up five earned runs in three innings, on wet and cold conditions at Coors Field, but he gave up four runs in five innings Saturday in good weather.

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Gary Miereanu, the former director of publicity for Walt Disney Television Animation and a member of Dodger co-owner Frank McCourt’s transition team, has been hired to fill the void created by the resignation of longtime senior vice president of communications Derrick Hall.

Miereanu, who officially begins work as vice president of communications a week from today, will coordinate the club’s communication efforts involving public relations, media, marketing and advertising. The 43-year-old is also a former sportswriter who once worked in public relations for Centinela Hospital Medical Center and Saint John’s Health Center.

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Milton Bradley sat out a third consecutive game because of a sprained left ankle but is expected to return Tuesday when the Dodgers open a three-game series against the Florida Marlins at Pro Player Stadium.... Paul Lo Duca was given a day off and replaced at catcher by David Ross, who went hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts.