Both the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers had been among the hottest clubs in the majors before ending their respective weekends in losing fashion.

Given the locale of their upcoming series against each other, the Dodgers may have the best chance to quickly resume their winning ways.

Los Angeles seeks to bounce back from its most-lopsided shutout loss in eight years and improve to 7-0 at Dodger Stadium on Monday night when it opens a three-game set against Atlanta.

The Dodgers (12-4) are tied with Washington for the NL’s best record and had won three straight, but failed to record a weekend sweep at Houston after a humbling 12-0 loss Sunday in which they allowed one fewer run than in the first five games of their road trip. Starter Chad Billingsley yielded nine of those runs in 3 1-3 innings of the most-lopsided shutout suffered by Los Angeles since a 13-0 defeat to the Angels in June 2004.

“It’s one of those days you just have to forget,” Billingsley said.

Not even red-hot Matt Kemp was immune to the team’s Sunday struggles. The major-league leader with nine homers and 22 RBIs, Kemp went 0 for 3 to snap a 10-game hitting streak and saw his average drop to .450.

Kemp and the Dodgers would appear to have a great chance to get back on track as they open a six-game homestand that will also feature a weekend series with the Nationals. Los Angeles is 6-0 at Chavez Ravine, where it will try to win its first seven home games for just the second time since moving to Southern California but also the second time in four years. The Dodgers opened 13-0 at home in 2009.

Kemp is batting .545 with four homers, eight RBIs and two doubles in six home games.

However, the Dodgers’ home wins have come against lesser opponents in Pittsburgh and San Diego. The Braves figure to pose a tougher test.

The Braves (10-6) had won five straight and 10 of 11 before falling 6-4 on Sunday at Arizona. Michael Bourn had three hits, a double and scored twice but it wasn’t enough for Atlanta to overcome a five-run second inning by the Diamondbacks highlighted by a Gerardo Parra grand slam.

Still, after taking three of four from the defending NL West champions, the Braves were upbeat.

“This is a good start on our road trip,” second baseman Dan Uggla said. “It’s really hard to beat a team four times.”

Jair Jurrjens (0-1, 8.10 ERA) will get the ball for Atlanta in the series opener, looking to overcome his rough start to the season. The right-hander has failed to last longer than five innings in any of his three outings while surrendering five homers in 13 1-3 frames and allowing opponents to bat .362. He gave up four runs, seven hits and four walks in four innings Wednesday, but didn’t get a decision as the Braves outslugged the Mets 14-6.

Jurrjens has usually been effective against the Dodgers, going 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts while limiting Los Angeles to a single run in four of those outings.

Kemp is 4 for 14 with a homer against Jurrjens, but has struck out seven times. Fellow Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier is 5 for 11 with seven walks in their matchups.

Probable Dodgers starter Chris Capuano (1-0, 4.50) seeks a third straight quality start as he takes the hill for the fourth time in 2012. The left-hander gave up two runs over six innings at Milwaukee on Wednesday, a game Los Angeles eventually lost 3-2 in 10 innings.

Uggla is 3 for 16 (.188) with 11 strikeouts against Capuano.

The Dodgers went 5-2 in last season’s series with Atlanta, taking three of four at home.

HOUSTON, April 22 (UPI) — Jordan Schafer hit a grand slam and Wandy Rodriguez tamed Los Angeles over seven innings Sunday in the Houston Astros’ 12-0 rout of the Dodgers.

Schafer’s slam in the second inning put the Astros ahead 5-0 and they never looked back, banging out 12 hits en route to salvaging one win in their three-game set with the Dodgers.

Carlos Lee added a two-run shot while Chris Johnson and Jason Castro each added two hits and an RBI in Houston’s win.

Rodriguez (1-2) earned his first victory of the year in his fourth start, holding Los Angeles to three hits. He walked three and struck out six.

The Dodgers’ Chad Billingsley (2-1) lasted only 3 1/3 frames, allowing nine runs (five earned) on four hits and four walks.

Los Angeles fell to 12-4 with the setback.

LOS ANGELES (AP) At 9-1, the Los Angeles Dodgers own the top record in the majors and are off to their best start since they won the World Series in 1981. With new ownership and Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier piling up hits, the bad feelings from the Frank McCourt era are beginning to fade.

The Dodgers spent the first two weeks of the season beating up on San Diego and Pittsburgh, two of the NL’s weakest teams. They’re 6-0 at home and are the lone remaining team in the majors with one loss for the first time since 1955, when the Dodgers won their first World Series in Brooklyn.

Kemp earned his second consecutive NL player of the week honor Monday, having led the majors with a .545 average in six games last week.

”It’s very early, a long season,” he said. ”Guys are gunning for you, so I have to work just as hard as the next guy who is trying to get me out.”

Kemp hasn’t missed a beat in picking up where he left off last season, when he was runner-up to Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun as NL MVP. He leads the majors in eight offensive categories, including average (.487), home runs (six), runs (13) and RBIs (16).

Ethier is batting .289, with three homers and 15 RBIs. Both he and Kemp are known for their strong April numbers.

”We can definitely get higher,” Kemp said about the team. ”Right now we’re really confident in ourselves. It’s a long season and we just have to keep pushing.”

The sale of the Dodgers to a group fronted by retired Lakers superstar Magic Johnson has been approved by a federal bankruptcy court, with the deal set to close by April 30.

Fans are showing up to games again after staying away in droves last season, when off-field developments involving McCourt taking the franchise into bankruptcy and his fights with ex-wife Jamie, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and his creditors overshadowed anything the team did.

”Winning changes everything,” Kemp said. ”It changes the atmosphere in the ballpark, the atmosphere in the clubhouse.”

The Dodgers have started the season healthy. Among the regulars, only James Loney is slumping. The first baseman is hitting .148, with 2 RBIs and one run scored. Loney took a long time to get going last season, too. Eventually, he hit .388 with seven homers in his last 35 games to retain his starting job.

NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw has yet to earn a decision in three starts, while Chad Billingsley is 2-0. Javy Guerra has settled in as the closer, and he leads the majors with five saves.

The team has benefited from some breaks early on.

Two of its wins at home against the Padres came in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Dodgers turned a bizarre triple play on Sunday to keep the game tied going into the bottom half of the ninth.

”There’s no notation or asterisk that tells how you won the game,” catcher A.J. Ellis said. ”This wave won’t ride forever. We’re going to be on the end of some heartbreakers.”

The Dodgers open a six-game trip to Milwaukee and Houston on Tuesday.

”I’m proud of our guys,” Kemp said. ”We’re finding ways to win. Whatever it is, we’re getting it done.”

LOS ANGELES – Former Great Lakes Loons pitcher Javy Guerra earned his first win of the season, but not until the Los Angeles Dodgers turned an unusual triple play.

The Dodgers rallied to win with a run in the bottom of the ninth, earning a 5-4 decision on Dee Gordon’s two-out RBI.

But in the top of the ninth, San Diego put runners on first and second with nobody out. Jesus Guzman tried to bunt, but the ball hit his bat and bounced behind home plate.

Home plate umpire Dale Scott twice raised his arms, indicating a dead ball or foul ball. But when Dodgers A.J. Ellis picked up the ball and threw to third, Scott motioned that it was a fair ball.

With the Padres runners staying on the bag, a 2-5-6-3 triple play was easy.

The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ third-place finish in the NL West likely played a part in Matt Kemp getting beaten out for the 2011 MVP by Ryan Braun, who led the Milwaukee Brewers to their first division title in nearly three decades.

If there was early voting for the award in 2012, Kemp would be the runaway winner after helping Los Angeles get off to its best start in 31 years.

Kemp and the major league-leading Dodgers look to open 10-1 for the first time since moving to Los Angeles, while the host Brewers try to snap a four-game losing streak Tuesday night.

Kemp finished second to Braun for MVP after hitting .324 with league highs of 39 homers and 126 RBIs, along with a career-best 40 steals. Braun got 56 more votes following a season in which he finished second in the NL in batting at .332 and had 33 homers with 111 RBIs. He added a career-high 33 steals.

The difference may have been Braun helping Milwaukee to a franchise-record 96 wins and the NL Central title, while the Dodgers finished 11 1/2 games back. In the early going this season, though, there’s no question who the top player in the NL – and baseball – has been.

Kemp is batting .487 with six homers and 16 RBIs, and he homered for the fourth time in three games in a 5-4 victory over San Diego on Sunday.

The Dodgers completed a 6-0 homestand and are 9-1 for the first time since 1981, when they won the World Series.

“He’s not going to be able to keep up this pace, I’ll say that. But it’s legit,” manager Don Mattingly told the team’s official website. “You don’t just do some of the things that he’s been doing.”

No Dodgers team has opened 10-1 since the Brooklyn Dodgers began 11-1 in 1955 – when the franchise won its first World Series title.

Giving the ball to Chad Billingsley (2-0, 0.63 ERA) could help Los Angeles move closer to that mark. The right-hander has 15 strikeouts and one walk in two starts.

Billingsley gave up one run in six innings of a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday, throwing only 77 pitches.

“He’s pounding the strike zone and making guys miss,” said right fielder Andre Ethier, among the major league leaders with 15 RBIs.

Billingsley will face a Brewers team that batted .215 and posted a 7.31 ERA while losing four straight to end its seven-game trip.

“If we play like this we’re going to get beat everywhere,” manager Ron Roenicke said following a 7-4 defeat to Atlanta on Sunday. “We can’t continue like this.”

The Brewers (4-6) will look to avoid their first five-game skid since Sept. 6-10 with Yovani Gallardo (1-1, 5.91) on the hill. Milwaukee is winless since the right-hander pitched seven innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 road victory over Chicago on Wednesday.

Gallardo is 0-3 with a 7.66 ERA in four starts against Los Angeles. It’s his highest ERA against any team he’s faced more than once.

Kemp, 4 for 12 with a double off Gallardo, didn’t drive in a run as the Dodgers lost three of four in their last visit to Miller Park from Aug. 15-18.

Braun, batting .343 this season, went 8 for 22 with one homer as Milwaukee took four of six from Los Angeles in 2011.

LOS ANGELES, April 15 (UPI) — Dee Gordon’s base hit in the bottom of the ninth Sunday carried the Los Angeles Dodgers to the ninth win in 10 games, 5-4 over San Diego.

The Dodgers loaded the bases with one out against Brad Brach (0-1) and Gordon then lined a pitch past diving San Diego third baseman Chase Headley, triggering a wild celebration as Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of the Padres.

Javy Guerra (1-0) earned the victory with a scoreless top of the ninth, which was highlighted by a controversial triple play.

The Padres had put runners at first and second with no outs when Jesus Guzman squared to bunt. He backed out of the way of an inside pitch, but it hit his bat and went straight down.

Catcher A.J. Ellis picked it up and fired to third base for the first out, and the Dodgers sent it around the horn as the Padres protested the bunt had been foul.

Manager Bud Black argued the call and was thrown out by home plate umpire Dale Scott.

Matt Kemp went 3-for-4 and hit his MLB-best sixth homer for Los Angeles.

Jeremy Hermida drove in two runs for San Diego.

LOS ANGELES, April 15 (UPI) — Matt Kemp blasted a pair of two-run homers Saturday and the Los Angeles Dodgers stayed hot with a 6-1 victory over San Diego.

Andre Ethier added a solo shot as the Dodgers won their fifth straight game and improved to 8-1 to begin the season — their best start since their World Championship season of 1981.

Ted Lilly (1-0) earned the victory, allowing just one unearned run on two hits and one walk over seven frames. He struck out four in his first start of the year following a stint on the disabled list.

The Dodgers spoiled the major league debut of touted Padres prospect Joe Wieland (0-1), who surrendered six runs over five innings, allowing six hits, two walks and one strikeout.

MIDLAND - Razor Shines took a chance at a chance of a lifetime.

It paid off.

Shines is the hitting coach this season for the Great Lakes Loons Single A baseball team, which opens the season Friday at Lansing.

More important, at least to Shines, is one of his students … his son, Devin Shines.

“I never saw my son play in high school, so after I was let go by the New York Mets last year, I took the year off to see him play in college (Oklahoma State),” Razor Shines said. “It was an incredible opportunity.

“Then he was drafted by the (Los Angeles) Dodgers, and I was offered this job. I had other offers, but the possibility of coaching my son was too much to pass up. There was no guarantee that he would be on this team, but I knew there was that opportunity.”

The Loons had their first Dow Diamond practice Tuesday.

“He had a good season last year in Arizona, and he had a good camp to make this team,” Razor Shines said. “It’s a blessing from God. I can’t think of a greater gift than what I’m getting right now.”

Devin Shines, 22, played one game in Rookie League Ogden last season before he was sent to the Arizona Rookie League, where he hit .319 with 33 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

“When the Dodgers offered my dad the job, I was excited,” Devin Shines said. “When I found out I was playing here, I can’t describe how excited I was.

“Growing up, he never saw me play. One summer I didn’t play summer ball so I could go with him when he was managing in the minors. To be able to play for him, to have him coach me … I couldn’t ask for more.”

There are some inherent dangers to the situation. Razor Shines can’t allow himself to treat his son any differently than the other hitters.

“He might even be tougher on me because I’m his son,” Devin Shines said. “He does talk to me differently as a coach than he does as a parent. There’s a different tone. He’s a lot tougher on me as a dad than he is as a coach.”

Razor Shines makes no apologies.

“As a dad, you’re teaching your son to be a young man, to be a success in the world,” Razor Shines said. “Everything is not just sports when you’re a father.

“As a hitting coach, your focus is on baseball, and that’s all.”

Razor Shines, who played four seasons with the Montreal Expos, has more than 500 wins as a minor league manager. He has also served as a coach for the Chicago White Sox (2007) and the New York Mets (2009-10).

It was a surprise to some that he accepted the job as a hitting coach for a Low A minor league team.

“I’m a teacher first, and I love working with players,” Razor Shines said. “Plus the Dodgers drafted my son. I saw a future opportunity, and so far it’s all worked out. The good thing is that nobody knows my son’s swing better than I do. I taught him it to begin with.”

The rest is up to his son, who was drafted in the 38th round last year. Devin Shines played first base in high school, but became an outfielder at Oklahoma State.

“There aren’t many 5-foot-9 first baseman out there, so moving was a natural move,” Devin Shines said. “Moving to the outfield wasn’t hard. It was the same theory. See the ball, catch the ball.

“I don’t really have a spot in the outfield … I can play all three. I guess I’m a utility outfielder. I’ve been given the opportunity to play baseball. I understand how baseball works. I grew up with it.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes, including listening to my hitting coach.

“He’s my dad, so there’s really no choice.”

« Mets Notes: Niese, Bay |
Main
| Minor Moves: Jason Michaels »

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [April 2, 2012 at 9:13am CST]

The Dodgers spent aggressively on veteran free agents and locked up their top position player in their final offseason under the ownership of Frank McCourt.

Major League Signings

• Aaron Harang, SP: two years, $12MM.
• Chris Capuano, SP: two years, $10MM. 
• Mark Ellis, 2B: two years, $8.75MM. 
• Jerry Hairston, UT: two years, $6MM.
• Juan Rivera, OF: one year, $4.5MM. 
• Todd Coffey, RP: one year, $1.3MM. 
• Mike MacDougal, RP: one year, $1MM.
• Matt Treanor, C: one year, $850K. 
• Adam Kennedy, IF, one year, $800K.  
• Total spend: $45.2MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Fernando Nieve, Ryan Tucker, Wil Ledezma, John Grabow, Josh Bard, Alberto Castillo.

Trades and Claims

Extensions

Notable Losses

• Hiroki Kuroda, Rod Barajas, Jamey Carroll, Aaron Miles, Casey Blake, Dioner Navarro, Jon Garland, Hong-Chih Kuo, Vicente Padilla, Jonathan Broxton, Eveland.

Going from Frank McCourt to Magic Johnson and Stan Kasten represents the biggest upgrade of the offseason for the Dodgers. McCourt agreed to sell the Dodgers to a group including the NBA star and the longtime MLB executive for $2.15 billion. The change in leadership promises to turn the Dodgers into a West Coast superpower capable of outdrawing, outspending and outplaying the competition.

The team also has some hope in the short-term, even though Dodgers GM Ned Colletti didn’t add much star power to the roster this winter. Toward the end of the 2011 season, Colletti said he was hoping to find “the most dramatic way [to] improve the offense” this offseason. The Dodgers appear to have offered Prince Fielder a seven-year deal in the $160MM range and, were it not for the torn ligament in Victor Martinez‘s knee, Fielder might have signed in Los Angeles. Instead, the Dodgers signed a number of veteran position players to deals that will fill out the lineup without radically improving the offense.

The Matt Kemp extension was Colletti’s biggest offseason accomplishment. They’re paying him like a superstar, but Kemp (pictured) earned his $160MM after putting up MVP-caliber numbers in 2011. While 2011 was in all likelihood a career-year, it was no fluke. The deal will expire after Kemp’s age-34 season, so the Dodgers locked him up for his prime seasons. Not all teams can afford to make $160MM commitments, but the Dodgers can and should retain their elite players.

The Dodgers also extended Clayton Kershaw, but his contact couldn’t be much more different from Kemp’s in terms of magnitude and purpose. Kershaw’s two-year, $19MM contract should provide the Dodgers a discount on the left-hander’s 2013 salary, but it doesn’t lock him up through any free agent seasons. For me this type of deal favors the player, not the team. The Dodgers will worry about delaying Kershaw’s free agency with his next extension, when they discuss a potentially record-setting contract one or two years from now.

Joining Kershaw in the rotation are Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano. The pair cost $22MM in total, which is a lot for back-of-the-rotation pitchers. But there’s value in innings eaters and Nathan Eovaldi will still get the chance to start his share of games if an injury emerges. It’s surprising the team let dependable right-hander Hiroki Kuroda walk, since he offers more upside than Harang or Capuano and seemed interested in returning to Los Angeles.

Mark Ellis signed a two-year, $11MM that provides the Dodgers with a steady defender at a premium position. The Dodgers are counting on the 34-year-old for his glove and if replicates his career line of .266/.331/.397 it’ll be a bonus. This deal doesn’t have much upside, but going with Ivan De Jesus Jr. would have been risky. A veteran addition was in order and given the free agent options, the decision to sign Ellis seems defensible.

Juan Rivera, a low-OBP 33-year-old who’s losing his power, signed a $4.5MM deal with the Dodgers early on in the offseason. Rivera has been below replacement level in three of the past five seasons, according to Baseball Reference’s version of the metric, so Jerry Sands, a powerful 24-year-old earning the league minimum, seemed like the better, cheaper choice.  Even if the Dodgers don’t believe in Sands quite yet, more affordable ways of obtaining below average hitters with minimal defensive value exist.

Jonathan Broxton left via free agency and if the Dodgers were at all tempted to spend big on a replacement closer, they resisted, choosing instead to rely on internal candidates and make modest additions to the ‘pen. The Dodgers signed Todd Coffey and re-signed Mike MacDougal to deals that should strengthen the bullpen for a relatively low price. Most teams enter the season with more left-handed relief than the Dodgers, who are hoping Scott Elbert can build on a promising 2011 season.

The club also added veteran backstops Matt Treanor and Josh Bard to complement the high-OBP duo of A.J. Ellis and Tim Federowicz. The additions of Jerry Hairston and Adam Kennedy will also deepen the bench.

The Dodgers didn’t add a dynamic offensive player this offseason, but they extended their franchise center fielder and added complementary pieces. Health-permitting, there’s no reason Los Angeles shouldn’t remain in the hunt for postseason spots this year, though they’re by no means favored to win anything. At the very least, the ownership of the franchise will change hands in the near future, ending the Frank McCourt era and ushering in an L.A. icon who aims to turn the Dodgers back into the National League’s marquee franchise.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

The full 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers‘ interleague schedule is finally ready. The team had a number of game times that hadn’t been released yet, but now the franchise is ready to get things going. The Dodgers have 15 games against American League teams this season, beginning on June 8 with a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners.

Most of the interleague games for the Dodgers come against the A.L. West this year, with the exception of a series against the Chicago White Sox in June.

Los Angeles Dodgers 2012 Interleague Schedule

Friday, June 8

Dodgers at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT (FSPT, ROOT)

Saturday, June 9

Dodgers at Mariners, 4:15 p.m. PT (FOX)

Sunday, June 10

Dodgers at Mariners, 1:10 p.m. PT (FSPT, ROOT)

Monday, June 11

Los Angeles Angels at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. PT (FSW, FSPT)

Tuesday, June 12

Angels at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. PT (FSW, KCAL)

Wednesday, June 13

Angels at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. PT (FSW, FSPT)

Friday, June 15

Chicago White Sox at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. PT (CSN, FSPT)

Saturday, June 16

White Sox at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. PT (WGN, KCAL)

Sunday, June 17

White Sox at Dodgers, 3:10 p.m. PT (CSN, FSPT)

Tuesday, June 19

Dodgers at Oakland Athletics, 7:05 p.m. PT (KCAL, CSCA)

Wednesday, June 20

Dodgers at Athletics, 7:05 p.m. PT (KCAL, CSCA)

Thursday, June 21

Dodgers at Athletics, 12:35 p.m. PT (KCAL, CSCA)

Friday, June 22

Dodgers at Angels, 7:05 p.m. PT (FSPT, FSW)

Saturday, June 23

Dodgers at Angels, 4:15 p.m. PT (FOX)

Sunday, June 24

Dodgers at Angels, 12:35 p.m. PT (FSPT, FSW)

Source:

Dodgers Main Site

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Former Great Lakes Loons star Jerry Sands has hit .158 during spring training, essentially assuring his return to Triple A instead of breaking camp with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sands did get a walk-off hit Monday in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.

The hit, which scored former Loon Elian Herrera, broke a streak of nine consecutive hitless at-bats.

Sands’ struggles only added to the challenge presented by reserve Justin Sellers, who has had a good spring and is expected to secure the final spot on the roster. Also, outfielder Andre Ethier has hit left-handers during the spring, negating the need for a platoon involving Sands.

Sands spent part of the 2009 and 2010 season with the Loons.

According to espn.com, Sands has tinkered with his swing throughout spring training and is now trying to get back to the swing he had at the start of camp.

The Dodgers use two hitting coaches, plus Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. During spring training, minor league hitting coaches are also in camp.

espn.com: “You like to get help, and a lot of different people were trying to help,” Sands said. “But everybody is different as a hitter. I appreciate the help, and I love to listen, because I know I don’t know all of it. But I was up there thinking so many things at the plate, thinking about my swing and all that, and it’s tough enough already when you have that pitcher throwing 95 (mph).

Luis Cruz is impressing the Dodgers with his many skills. Dee Gordon’s speed is amazing to all.

Gordon led off the game with a bunt single and scored a run and Cruz hit a two-run triple as Los Angeles beat the Cleveland Indians 5-4 Saturday.

“He’s interesting,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Cruz. “Again, we’ve talked about his versatility a lot. There’s his flexibility and durability. He is able to play a lot of different positions. Definitely, he’s in the mix.”

Gordon raced down the first base line in 3.79 seconds in the first — timed in the press box. A time of 4.0 is considered very fast.

“That is soooo slow,” Gordon joked after stealing second for his eighth stolen base this spring. He moved to third on a throwing error by Indians catcher Lou Marson and scored on Mark Ellis’ groundout.

Gordon, who had two hits in three at-bats, also got thrown out at second in the third inning.

“Got to try and see what happens,” said Gordon, who tries to unnerve pitchers with his quickness.

Cruz, who subbed for Gordon at shortstop in the top of the seventh, tripled, driving in two runs. Then, he scored on a single by left-fielder Cory Sullivan.

Dodgers left-hander Chris Capuano worked five innings, giving up six hits and two runs. He had five strikeouts.

“I felt great the first four innings,” Capuano said. “But I got noticeably tired in the fifth. My ball was up. But through the first four innings my command was good.”

Cleveland starter Derek Lowe gave up seven hits and two runs — one earned — in six innings. He struck out four without giving up a walk.

“The key to spring training is how do you feel when you are done?” Lowe said. “Are you at the end of your rope or feel you can go some more. I threw 85 pitches and I felt good. I’m in better shape now than last spring training. Last offseason, I did some traveling and didn’t do my usual work. I tried to catch up and never did. It was a scuffle from Day 1.

“It’s never a good sign when they post your pitches at Citi Field and your changeup is higher than your fastball,” Lowe said. “I’d look up and say, gee, that wasn’t a change. This was a good day overall. I think I’m ready to go.”

NOTES: Dodgers infielder Justin Sellers is sidelined by a skin rash. “He’s out maybe a couple of days,” Mattingly said. “It’s some kind of reaction. We’re trying to figure it out. You don’t want to know where it is.” … Dodgers physicians looks at infielder Jerry Hairston’s right shoulder Saturday. Mattingly is concerned about his throwing motion. Hairston has five throwing errors this spring. However, Hairston said he feels healthy and ready to play. … Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw is the Dodgers scheduled starter Sunday in Maryvale, Ariz., against the Milwaukee Brewers, who are expected to counter with right-hander Shaun Marcum. Kershaw is scheduled for his final Cactus League start on March 31 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Scottsdale. . A stiff neck kept Dodgers left-hander Ted Lilly from a bullpen session Saturday. Lilly battled neck problems last season. … Indians right-hander Jeanmar Gomez is the scheduled start Sunday against the Chicago Cubs in Goodyear, Ariz. The Cubs plan to start right-hander Rodrigo Lopez.

The five remaining groups bidding for Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers want the roughly 130 acres of land Dodger Stadium’s parking lots sit on to be included with their current offers for the team. The current bids for the Dodgers range from $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion.

Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to a high-ranking baseball executive familiar with the bids who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the potential owners do not simply want the right to lease the parking lots at Dodger Stadium from team owner Frank McCourt, they want outright ownership of the land. The Dodgers would not comment but in the past have said on several occasions that the parking lots were not part of the auction.

The five remaining groups are hedge fund titan Steve Cohen and agent Art Tellem, Los Angeles Laker Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and former baseball executive Stan Kasten, Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley and Ares Capital co-founder Tony Ressler, Stan Kroenke, who owns the St. Louis Rams of the NFL, and Stanley Gold and the family of the late Roy Disney. The Gold group was rejected by MLB but then reinstated by court-appointed mediator Joseph Farnan last week.

We value the Dodgers at $1.4 billion, second-most in baseball, primarily due to the lucrative television deal the team is likely to get beginning with the 2014 season.

The baseball executive said MLB would likely approve each of the five remaining groups by early next week. Bidders have been adding partners over the past several days to increase the cash component of their offers and prepare for the final auction of the team . Cohen’s group added Patrick Soon-Shiong, the wealthiest person in Los Angeles while Johnson’s team brought in Golden State Warriors owner and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber. Heisley has said he would sell his NBA team to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.

Johnson’s group has offered $1.6 billion, the most of the five groups. But Cohen is the favorite at this  point because the $900 million equity component of his $1.4 billion bid is by far the most of any group. Kroenke has offered the second-most equity, but the potential cross-ownership issues of an NFL and MLB team are working against him.