Garciaparra Is Day to Day

A day after straining his left thigh running to first base, Nomar Garciaparra took batting and fielding practice and was available as a pinch-hitter.

He couldn’t run, however, and won’t return to the lineup until he can.

“It’s sore,” he said. “It’s what I expected. I’ll get treatment and take it day by day.”

It is Garciaparra’s third injury this season. He was on the disabled list from April 3 to April 22 because of a strained right rib cage and from July 25 to August 9 because of a sprained right knee.

Manager Grady Little opted to move Jeff Kent from second to first base and plug in Julio Lugo at second rather than start rookie James Loney at first. Lugo had three hits Friday and batted third Saturday.

Little likes having speedy Rafael Furcal, Kenny Lofton and Lugo at the top of the order. The Dodgers are 9-2 with Lugo batting third.

“Ideally all three get on base, and hopefully two are on and headed toward action each time the lineup turns around,” Little said.

-- Steve Henson

*

Furcal, who had off-season knee surgery and then progressively became the Dodgers’ most dynamic player, said he has lost 18 pounds since spring training, dramatically enhancing his speed and durability through the summer.

As his knee became sturdier, allowing him to stay on his feet longer and condition himself better, Furcal said, he fell from 203 pounds to 185. He is on course to set career highs in games, batting average, home runs and runs batted in.

“I was telling my wife, I want to stay right here,” Furcal said, patting his stomach. “I don’t want to be fat. Before, I couldn’t move. I was so heavy, I couldn’t move like I wanted to.”

-- Tim Brown

*

The Dodgers commemorated the arrival of Korean first baseman Hee-Seop Choi two years ago with a celebration at Seoul International Park in Koreatown. They held another celebration there Saturday, this one to dedicate a new youth baseball field.

The Dodgers no longer have a Korean player on their roster, so the guests were Japanese pitcher Takashi Saito and Taiwanese pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo. Although the Koreans and Japanese are historical rivals, Saito said he felt comfortable representing the Dodgers at the event.

“One of the great things about sports is that it crosses all boundaries,” Saito said through a translator. “The fact that I’m in Koreatown is one of the great things about sports.”

The Dodgers helped fund the “Dodger Dream Field,” in partnership with the city, state and Amateur Athletic Foundation. Saito said he would enjoy returning to the facility to watch a game.

“I think it’s very important for the community and the children to see the Dodger players actively involved in the community, versus just seeing that it’s a Dodger field,” he said.

-- Bill Shaikin