Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven solid innings in a Minor League game against the Reds, allowing two hits, one a solo homer. He struck out seven without a walk and made 91 pitches.

Catcher Russell Martin caught Kuroda and went 0-for-3, all strikeouts, but showed no effects of the pulled groin muscle. Martin is not on the list to travel to Tucson Tuesday. — Ken Gurnick

Ramon Ortiz pitched on consecutive days for the first time as a professional Sunday, but said he felt normal as he pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts. Ortiz has just about locked up a bullpen job after coming to camp on a Minor League contract.

Ramon Troncoso, who got uniform No. 38 back after the release of Eric Gagne, came up with his best outing of the spring in the 2-1 win over the Reds,

“A year ago he was our 12th guy and turned into something much more important than that,” manager Joe Torre said of Troncoso. “He didn’t have a terrific spring, but there was never a question whether he’s on the club or not.”

Starter Clayton Kershaw had seven strikeouts in six innings, making 99 pitches and adding a single and a run scored. He stranded a runner in scoring position in four of the innings. — Ken Gurnick

Russell Martin will catch Hiroki Kuroda Monday in a Minor League game, then on Tuesday will make his first Major League exhibition appearance since pulling a groin muscle, manager Joe Torre said.

Torre watched Martin catch seven innings Sunday and go 1-for-4 with a walk. Torre said Martin will probably play in Tucson where the Dodgers will face Colorado Tuesday.

“I felt good about what I saw,” said Torre. — Ken Gurnick

Catcher Russell Martin, despite saying he’s healed from a pulled groin muscle, is not being allowed to play in Major League games because management wants to keep open the option of placing him on the disabled list retroactively for 10 days. If Martin appears in a Major League exhibition game, he could only be disabled retroactively to the day after the last day he played. As a result, Martin was scheduled to play in Sunday’s Minor League game against the Indians at Goodyear, catching seven innings while leading off every inning. Manager Joe Torre said Martin might not appear in a Major League game until Thursday night in Los Angeles. — Ken Gurnick

AWOL reliever Ronald Belisario finally resolved his visa issues and arrived at the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch-Glendale complex Saturday from his native Venezuela.

 

As a preemptive move, club officials revealed that on Friday they placed Belisario on the Major League restricted list for failure to report to Spring Training, effectively buying a 30-day window for Belisario to get in shape and be activated.

 

Vice president Kim Ng said Belisario will not count against the Dodgers’ 40-man Major League roster for a maximum of 30 days and won’t be paid either until he’s activated. Because Belisario is out of options, he cannot be sent to the Minor Leagues without clearing waivers. — Ken Gurnick

Non-roster veteran Doug Mientkiewicz, his chances to make the Opening Day roster vanishing, has left the Dodgers Spring Training camp, but the club has yet to make an official roster move.

 

The 35-year-old Mientkiewicz is a 10-year veteran who signed last year after Spring Training started, but had a successful longshot bid to make the club foiled when he blew out his throwing shoulder with a head-first dive into second base two weeks into the season. He played only 20 games last year, going 6-for-18 (.333).

 

A former Gold Glove winner, Mientkiewicz’s chances of making the club this year as the primary left-handed pinch-hitter took a serious blow with the late signing of Garret Anderson, who can still play the outfield. Mientkiewicz hasn’t lost the Gold Glove, but his ability to throw is severely limited. — Ken Gurnick

Left-handed reliever George Sherrill, pitching on consecutive days for the first time this spring, walked two and gave up a hit in two-thirds of an inning Friday, raising his ERA to 5.06. Sherrill has issued six walks to go with nine hits allowed in 5 1/3 innings.

“I guess when it happens during the season,” manager Joe Torre said, asked when he would start to worry about Sherrill. “I’ve gone this far, I’m not about to start panicking now.”

Torre repeated that the staff was warned about Sherrill’s notoriously poor Spring Training record.

Also Friday, Vicente Padilla made his first start for the Dodgers since being named Opening Day pitcher. He allowed one run for four innings, then hit the wall and was charged with four more runs before being lifted with one out in the fifth at a pitch count of 97, suffering the loss. His spring ERA is 6.28. — Ken Gurnick

Dodgers reliever Hong-Chih Kuo has been shut down again with more elbow problems, virtually assuring he will not start the season on the active roster. — Ken Gurnick

Manager Joe Torre said infielder Ronnie Belliard had satisfied the 209-pound weight-clause requirement in his contract, guaranteeing the $825,000 base portion of his salary. Belliard would have had the base guaranteed anyway simply by making the Opening Day roster — which was expected — regardless of his weight.

Belliard is the presumed backup to Casey Blake at third base and James Loney at first base, as well as the primary right-handed pinch-hitter and insurance at second base. — Ken Gurnick

Left-handed reliever Hong-Chih Kuo was able to play catch on flat ground Thursday for a second consecutive day without further discomfort in his brittle elbow. Nonetheless, Kuo said he did not know when he would be able to throw off a mound, leaving him very unlikely to be ready to start the regular season. Kuo has appeared in only two games this spring. — Ken Gurnick