Still Looking for a Leading Man

Many Dodger followers aren’t convinced Cesar Izturis is an effective leadoff batter, pointing to his below-average .302 on-base percentage and 50% success rate on steal attempts.

But since Izturis went on the disabled list with a sprained lower back Aug. 23, Manager Jim Tracy has struggled trying to find a suitable replacement.

Oscar Robles is the obvious answer because he is batting .312 with a .379 on-base percentage in 125 at-bats at the top of the order. But Tracy prefers Robles batting second, noting his ability to get deep in counts and make contact on hit-and-run plays.

“He is adept at everything a hitter needs to do batting in the two-hole,” Tracy said. “He is excellent there.”

Maybe it is only a statistical oddity that Robles is batting .231 in 104 at-bats in the second position. His on-base percentage plus slugging percentage (OPS) is .814 batting first and .533 batting second.

Antonio Perez, who leads the Dodgers with a .318 batting average, a .373 slugging percentage and is 10 for 12 in stolen-base attempts, is an attractive option to lead off, but the Dodgers don’t trust his defense at third base and Jeff Kent plays second.

That leaves Jayson Werth, who is three for 16 with two walks and eight strikeouts in the leadoff spot. Overall, he is batting .246 with a .337 on-base percentage and leads the team with 11 stolen bases.

For what it’s worth, Werth enjoys batting leadoff.

“I led off during my senior year in high school and hit .620 or something,” he said.

Werth did not start Saturday because he is 0 for 7 against starter Byung-Hyun Kim. He struck out as a pinch-hitter.

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Hee-Seop Choi said fans throughout South Korea watched his at-bats against countryman Kim. Choi, who went 0 for 3, and Kim were teammates in high school and on the Korean national team in 1998.

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Ricky Ledee did not play because his left hamstring is bothering him again.... Reliever Giovanni Carrara has permission to remain in Los Angeles with his ailing 2-year-old son and will rejoin the team when the Dodgers return home Monday.