Little Ball May Be in Their Future

While watching raindrops fall until the game was postponed and a doubleheader was scheduled for today, Manager Grady Little reflected on a Dodger offense that is batting .313 after four games but has produced only one home run.

Meanwhile, opposing teams have hit eight homers, a major reason the Dodgers are 2-2 with both losses coming by one run in high-scoring affairs.

Little said that if the power outage continues, he might employ more hit-and-run plays.

“If that’s the way the ballclub is going to be, we might have to start runners to keep them out of double plays,” he said. “And we’ll have to do it with players who don’t usually run.”

J.D. Drew and cleanup hitter Jeff Kent are the only Dodgers expected to hit 25 or more home runs. Nomar Garciaparra, who is on the disabled list, and Jose Cruz Jr. have hit more than 30, but their power numbers have declined in recent years.

“I think we will hit a few home runs,” Little said. “I think we’re certainly going to get more than one a week. But how many, I’m not sure.

“We aren’t going to have hitters adjust their swings to hit home runs when they’ve been hitting wonderfully so far, I’ll tell you that.”

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Third baseman Bill Mueller is off to a strong start, batting .500 with two doubles and five runs batted in. He insists that it isn’t important to him.

“I don’t pay attention to statistics because it’s selfish,” he said. “This is a team game. I didn’t get to this point in my career by being selfish. If you are playing to win, and you are winning, that alleviates any personal struggles you might be going through.”

Mueller said his father imparts the same message as an assistant coach at the high school Mueller attended, DeSmet High near St. Louis.

“It’s the right thing to say and it’s the right way to play,” Mueller said. “When you are wrapped up in thinking about yourself, the game is no fun. When are thinking team first, the stats take care of themselves.”

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While many of his teammates lounged around the clubhouse nibbling on paper plates full of food and watching television, Hong-Chih Kuo sat quietly in front of his locker doing forearm exercises.

He held a metal bar with a six-pound weight on one end and twisted it methodically, doing several sets of 30. The exercise is one of many he learned after having two elbow ligament replacement surgeries.

“I just kept doing them even when my arm healed,” he said. “It might be a reason why I haven’t had any more pain.”

Kuo has been dominant at times, including Friday night when he struck out the first four batters in the Phillie lineup. He also can get wild, as he was against the Atlanta Braves on opening day when he walked two batters in a row.

Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt is as impressed with Kuo’s ability to make adjustments as he is with his exercise regimen. Honeycutt noticed that against the Braves, Kuo’s fastball was running off the plate, resembling a cutter -- which he doesn’t throw.

“When he went to the fastball, the ball started cutting and that’s not normal for him,” Honeycutt said. “We talked about it. His hand was offset. He normally gets true backspin on his fastball.”

Kuo fixed the problem in the bullpen and had pinpoint control against the Phillies.

“He was trying to do too much,” Honeycutt said. “We let him know that he doesn’t need to change just because it’s the season. We like him just the way he is.”

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Dioner Navarro is scheduled to catch the first game today and Sandy Alomar Jr. will catch the second game.... Shortstop Rafael Furcal would have played had there been a game Saturday and he could play both games today. Furcal was scratched Friday because of a bruised shin.... Center fielder Kenny Lofton will begin running Tuesday and Little said he should be ready to play when he is eligible to come off the disabled list Friday.