Lieberthal ready for a fresh start

Mike Lieberthal looked no different than anyone else waiting to enjoy a ballgame. He was slouched on a couch in the visitor’s clubhouse, sipping coffee from a paper cup and whiling away the time watching the Masters golf tournament on TV.

The difference, of course, is that as the Dodgers backup catcher, Lieberthal actually stood a chance of getting into the game.

A small chance.

“On most teams, the starting catcher can’t run, so they pinch-run for him and the backup gets in the game,” he said. “Russell Martin can run.

“On some teams, the starting catcher can’t hit, so they pinch-hit for him. Russell Martin can hit.”

All the more reason for Lieberthal to savor today’s game. He is starting, and it will mark his first appearance in a Dodgers uniform after spending the last 13 years as the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting catcher.

“I’ve been used to the grind of catching every day, getting beat up and bruised,” he said before smiling. “Now I’ve got the easiest job in baseball.”

The challenge will be to stay sharp while playing sparingly. For the first time in his career, Lieberthal is running and lifting weights before games. He also goes from the dugout to the bullpen about the sixth inning and warms up relievers.

“My swings have been good in BP,” he said, “if that means anything.”

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Manager Grady Little is reluctant to use Lieberthal as a pinch-hitter because the Dodgers would be without a catcher in the event of an injury to Martin. Utility infielder Ramon Martinez is the emergency catcher, but he is playing shortstop until Rafael Furcal returns from the disabled list.

There is another option, however. Brady Clark, the reserve outfielder acquired in a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers last week, said he served as emergency catcher in 2000 and 2001 with the Cincinnati Reds.

“I could conceivably do it,” Clark said. “I put the gear on and caught in the bullpen a few times, but I never got into a game. If they tell me to, I’d do it.”

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Although Furcal is eligible to be activated today, he won’t be for at least another day because his sprained left ankle is still sore and the Dodgers don’t want him testing it with the forecast calling for rain.

He took swings right-handed and fielded a few ground balls during batting practice, but favored the ankle.

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Russ Ortiz, who will pitch today for the Giants, was pursued by the Dodgers during the off-season because they felt the right-hander might return to the form he displayed going 103-60 with the Giants and Atlanta Braves from 1998 to 2004.

But Ortiz wanted a berth in the starting rotation and the Dodgers told him he would compete for a spot in the bullpen. He signed a one-year, $380,000 deal with the Giants after impressing them in the Puerto Rican Winter League and won the job as the fifth starter.

“Believe me, I’m from Southern California and I would have loved to play in L.A.,” he said. “My desire was to be in the rotation and they couldn’t offer me that.”

Ortiz’s career unraveled after he signed a four-year, $33-million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks before the 2005 season. He fought injuries and fought himself, and the Diamondbacks released him and ate $22 million after he began the 2006 season 0-5. He caught on with the Baltimore Orioles and lost three more games.

“I can understand why people ask what happened,” he said. “They know how much money I signed for. The problem started as something mechanical then became something mental.”

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steve.henson@latimes.com