Garciaparra is asked to take the lead

Nomar Garciaparra, who is less than two weeks away from his 35th birthday, hit in the leadoff spot Saturday, the first time he had done so in almost six years. Matt Kemp, who batted first in the Dodgers’ previous 11 games, was dropped to seventh.

“We’ll sacrifice the speed to get someone who’ll give us quality at-bats,” Manager Joe Torre said. “We need to get something started.”

Garciaparra did that, reaching base in the first on an infield single and scoring on a groundout by Jeff Kent.

The Dodgers averaged less than three runs in their last seven games. Kemp hit .255 and had an on-base percentage of .344 as the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter, a role that fell to him as a result of Juan Pierre being moved to the disabled list.

Garciaparra led off for the Boston Red Sox as a rookie in 1997, hitting .306 that season with 30 home runs and 98 runs batted in. He was moved into the middle of the Red Sox’s lineup in late May of the next season. The last time he hit in the leadoff spot was on July 16, 2002, in Detroit.

“I’m going to steal like five bases,” Garciaparra said jokingly. “I’ll steal second, steal third. I might steal home today, just like I used to.”

Garciaparra played six error-free games at shortstop leading up to the game on Saturday, but Torre said that because of the veteran’s medical history, acquiring a shortstop before the July 31 trade deadline remained a top priority.

Gonzalez back in L.A.

Florida Marlins outfielder Luis Gonzalez said he didn’t feel particularly strange visiting Dodger Stadium, noting that he called the place home in only 2007.

“I’ve spent more time in here,” Gonzalez said of the visitors’ clubhouse, “than the other side.”

Gonzalez, 40, hit .278 with 15 home runs and 68 RBIs last season. He shrugged when asked about being booed when he pinch-hit in the eighth inning of the series opener on Thursday. Asked whether he thought his perceived role in last season’s clubhouse rift between the veterans and young players factored into that, Gonzalez shrugged again.

“I still think all that was blown out of proportion,” Gonzalez said. “I’m happy to be here. Things have moved on.”

As the Marlins’ fourth outfielder, Gonzalez has started 60 of the Marlins’ 94 games and is hitting .271 with five home runs and 31 RBIs. He said he is accepting his reduced role better than he did last season, largely because he knew what his job would be when he signed. That wasn’t the case last year, Gonzalez said, noting he didn’t know whether he would be playing on a given day until the lineup was posted.

Sweeney’s comeback

Pinch-hitting specialist Mark Sweeney will probably be activated some time during the first series after the All-Star break, Torre said. Sweeney was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right hamstring on July 4, the day the Dodgers activated Garciaparra and Andruw Jones.

Sweeney, who was hitting .094 in 64 at-bats when he was placed on the DL, started a minor league rehab assignment with triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday. He started one game at first base and the other as the designated hitter and was a combined three for nine.

Short hops

Though Kent remains a regular in the lineup, Torre said “he’s struggling to feel good.” The manager said the second baseman continues to battle back pain. . . . Brad Penny, who is out with a shoulder injury, is tentatively scheduled to start throwing on Monday. . . . Jason Schmidt will make a rehab start for Las Vegas today.

--

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com