Pierre has been a real steal so far

The legs that once carried Maury Wills into the record books have long since lost their kick. The quickness that brought Dodgers fans to their feet yelling “Go! Go! Go!” has been dissipated by time.

At age 74, Wills can’t steal bases anymore.

But there is nothing slow about his mind. He still studies the baserunning techniques of this current crop of players in his capacity as a part-time coach.

And when it comes to Juan Pierre -- the latest incarnation of Wills, the Dodgers’ all-time base-stealing leader -- he likes what he sees.

“There are guys who steal bases, and there are base stealers,” Wills said. “Juan Pierre is a base stealer.

“When a guy is on base in a close game in the ninth inning and 56,000 people know he is going and the opposing team knows he is going, and he still steals the base, that is a base stealer. Juan doesn’t surprise anyone now. All eyes are on him and he still gets his steals.”

The numbers bear that out. In his first season with the club after signing a five-year, $44-million contract, the center fielder has 38 stolen bases, the latest two coming in the first and third innings Monday. With 70 games remaining, Pierre is second in the National League to the New York Mets’ Jose Reyes, who has 46.

With 12 more steals, Pierre will equal the 50 Wills stole in his first full season with the Dodgers. Wills stole 104 in 1962 to break the major league record at the time, held by Ty Cobb.

Wills predicts that Pierre’s stolen-base total will grow more impressively down the stretch.

“You are usually able to steal more in the second half of the season,” Wills said, “because the pitchers get lax. In the first half, they are coming out of spring training and all the instruction they have received about holding runners on is still coming out of their ears.”

But Pierre’s total is not what impresses Wills. “If he had stolen 36 and been caught 36 times, that wouldn’t impress me,” Wills said.

Pierre has been caught stealing nine times.

And when he is caught, he hears from Wills.

“It’s like falling off a horse,” Wills said. “You’ve got to get right back on. The first time you get on base after you’ve been caught stealing, you’ve got to go.”

*

When reliever Chin-hui Tsao was put on the disabled list Sunday, the Dodgers brought up right-hander D.J. Houlton. That still leaves the club with 11 pitchers. But that might change soon with the team going to an even dozen.

“It’s a day-to-day thing,” said Manager Grady Little. “Am I comfortable with 11 pitchers? Not totally.”

*

Is Houlton comfortable spending more time in an airline seat than in a major league dugout?

A graduate of Anaheim Servite High, Houlton spent all of 2005 with the Dodgers and 2006 with triple-A Las Vegas. This season, he was recalled from Las Vegas on June 30, optioned back on July 8 and then, three games after the All-Star break, rejoined the Dodgers.

There wasn’t even time to give him a nameplate above his Dodger Stadium locker stall.

“That’s all right, just as long as I have a locker,” said Houlton, who pitched the last two innings of Monday’s 10-3 win over Philadelphia, giving up two runs. “I have options so they can send me up and down all year. It’s something I have to come to grips with, just as long as they keep bringing me back.”

steve.springer@latimes.com