Right-handed reliever Ricardo “Ricky” Rivas was the only player signed by the Dodgers for a Minor League job from 85 aspirants who participated in an open tryout at Camelback Ranch-Glendale Thursday. Rivas, 26, went 2-1 with a 4.82 ERA in 23 relief appearances last year for independent El Paso. He was a 48th round pick of Pittsburgh out of El Paso Community College in 2004 but did not sign and played two years at Oklahoma State. — Ken Gurnick
Two-time All-Star Brian Giles, one week into camp and on a Minor League contract, was asked if he was confident his chronic right knee can take the punishment of playing.
“Not as much as I’d like at this point,” Giles said. “It’s just okay. Obviously, I’ll give it a few more days. It’s not where I want it to be. I’ll see if it gets better with more conditioning and how that changes it.”
Making the team for Giles and Doug Mientkiewicz just got tougher with the Wednesday night signing of Garret Anderson. Those three are in the mix for the left-handed pinch-hitter role. — Ken Gurnick
Manny Ramirez will be the designated hitter for the Dodgers in Friday’s exhibition opener against the White Sox, manager Joe Torre said Thursday.
The Dodgers will be the visiting team at Camelback Ranch-Glendale, where they share the complex with the White Sox. The teams play again Saturday, with the Dodgers as the home team.
Torre said the club will again use the designated hitter in early games this Spring to get more at-bats for position players, even in games against National League clubs, as long as those clubs agree to it. — Ken Gurnick
The Dodgers’ goodwill trip to Taiwan next week is still on despite the 6.4 earthquake the island nation experienced Thursday, a club official said.
A split squad, led by outfielder Manny Ramirez is scheduled to play games against a Taiwanese All-Star team next Friday, Saturday and Sunday. — Ken Gurnick
After Wednesday’s practice, Dodgers players held their annual Spring Training meeting with officials of the Players Association. Among the expected topics of discussion were testing for human growth hormone and preparations for negotiating the next collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement expires after the 2011 season. — Ken Gurnick
The Dodgers’ Scouting and Player Development department holds its annual open tryout Thursday at Camelback Ranch – Glendale from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. The tryout will take place on the Minor League back fields and is open to all amateur free agents, 18 years and older, that are currently not enrolled in school or under contract with any other baseball club or organization. — Ken Gurnick
Venezuelan reliever Ronald Belisario’s visa problems apparently are in the hands of the U.S. government, manager Joe Torre indicated Wednesday. Belisario is late for Spring Training for the second consecutive year, but this time the delay is believed related to the driving under the influence charge that is pending against him from last summer. The Dodgers have no idea when Belisario will join the club and that’s a problem because the right-hander is out of options and cannot be sent down to the Minor Leagues without risking being claimed by another club.
“Nothing,” Torre said when asked if there was anothing new, “other than it’s tied up in Washington. I’m not sure he can do anything about it. I’m not saying that was always the case, but it is now.”
Management, counting on Belisario to fill a bullpen role, is annoyed that the pitcher didn’t take steps early in the offseason to avoid the mess. — Ken Gurnick
Left-handed reliever Brent Leach will miss a couple more days of throwing off the mound because of a sore groin muscle, manager Joe Torre said. Leach, who felt tightness Sunday when the grounds were wet from rain, has been able to play catch on flat ground. Leach was called up from Double-A Chattanooga May 2 and appeared in 38 games for the Dodgers last year with a 5.75 ERA. He had a 2.95 ERA in his first 31 games, 31.50 in his last seven games. He was sent to Triple-A July 30 and struggled the rest of the year to a 6.75 ERA in Albuquerque. — Ken Gurnick
Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp did his photo shoot for the May issue of GQ Magazine at the Camelback Ranch-Glendale stadium after Tuesday’s practice.
The shoot took four hours and Kemp, who wore seven outfits picked out by the magazine, took to the role comfortably.
“I can pull any of it off,” he said. “GQ Magazine, they know what they’re doing. I had fun, man. The camera dude is supposedly one of the best photographers in the world, his name is Michel (Compte), a cool guy from Switzerland.” — Ken Gurnick
Infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. walked away from Tuesday’s “B” game under his own power, which was quite an improvement from the “B” game a year ago when DeJesus was carted off the field with a broken left leg.
He singled in a pair of runs and stole a base against the White Sox in a confidence booster for the son of the former Dodger.
“I’ve got to get that thing out of my system,” DeJesus said of the lingering mental doubts he has about the injury, which had limited his running until a month ago. “I just need to play and play and play.” — Ken Gurnick
Kenny G Around the Horn 