Rafael Furcal doesn’t want a day off, but he’ll take it

Rafael Furcal says he understands why Manager Joe Torre wants to rest him once a week. That doesn’t mean he likes the idea.

“It’s a little difficult for me to get used to that, but it’s a decision that he’s making for a reason,” Furcal said. “He’s figuring it’s better for me to miss a day than to miss two, three months like I did last year.”

The occasional days off are precautionary measures to protect Furcal’s surgically repaired back that cost him 4 1/2 months last year. His first day off will be today, as Torre will hold him out of the final game of the series in San Diego.

Replacing Furcal in the lineup will be Blake DeWitt.

Furcal said he didn’t experience any back problems this spring or in the first two games of the season.

Is the hard-nosed Furcal fine with the decision?

“I have to be fine with it,” Furcal said. “He’s the manager. He’s my boss. I have to listen to him. I want to play every day. That’s what I’m used to doing. But if he makes a decision, I don’t want to be the type who says, ‘No, I want to play,’ and get angry. He explained to me very clearly in spring training why he was doing this, why this would benefit me.”

The table setters

Manny Ramirez compared the first two hitters in the Dodgers’ lineup, Furcal and Orlando Hudson, to a 1-2 punch he sometimes hit behind when he played for the Cleveland Indians.

“It’s like when I had Kenny Lofton and [Roberto] Alomar,” Ramirez said. “They’re always on base.”

Ramirez drove in his first run of the season Wednesday when Furcal scored on his first-inning groundout. And he drove in Furcal and Hudson with a seventh-inning double.

The lineup’s improved speed is bothersome to opposing pitchers, said Padres ace Jake Peavy, who lost to the Dodgers on opening day.

“Obviously, they have great table setters on the top,” Peavy said. “They get on base and they’re going to cause trouble for you.”

Furcal says he has an increased sense of comfort when Hudson is next in the batting order.

“When there’s someone like that hitting behind me, I feel less pressure,” Furcal said. “When I don’t get on base, I know he could get on. If it’s not one of us, it’s the other.”

Dodgers miss Webb

The Dodgers put up decent numbers when they faced Brandon Webb last year, but they probably won’t mind missing the former Cy Young Award winner when they visit Arizona this weekend.

Webb, who is 10-5 with a 3.33 earned-run average in 18 games against the Dodgers, has been scratched from his scheduled start Saturday at Chase Field. Webb was 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in four starts against the Dodgers last season.

Short hops

Hiroki Kuroda was among the Dodgers who watched the Baltimore Orioles’ 7-5 victory over New York Yankees in the clubhouse. Orioles pitcher Koji Uehara, who won his major league debut, is a friend of his. Kuroda said he and Uehara became close when they played on Japan’s 2004 Olympic team. . . . Former top pitching prospect Greg Miller, who was released Monday to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, was re-signed to a minor league contract. . . . Craig Callan, who oversaw the Dodgers’ spring training operations, retired from the organization. . . . The Dodgers will face Randy Johnson when they host the Giants in their home opener Monday.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com