Dodgers’ opening act a day to forget

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As openers go, that did little to ease any concerns over this year’s edition of the Dodgers.

They got pushed around by a team with the lowest payroll in baseball, a team that hasn’t had a winning season since the first Bush was president.

It’s just one down and 161 to go, but the Boys in Blue certainly could have gotten off to a more encouraging start if:

-- Vicente Padilla hadn’t looked a lot more like a pitcher released by another club last season than one chosen to be the Dodgers’ opening-day starter.

Padilla never looked sharp, allowing six hits, walking three (who all scored) and hitting two in just 4 1/3 innings. He was charged with seven earned runs and failure to resemble an opening-day starter.
-- Ramon Ortiz had only shed concerns over having not pitched in the majors since 2007. With the bases loaded, pinch-hitter Ryan Church smoked a bases-clearing double. The Dodgers would never recover.

-- The Dodgers had done the little things better. And that’s in addition to the two errors.

Russell Martin at second and breaking to third on a grounder to short. Manny Ramirez unable to score a run with runners at first and second and one out in the first. Three times failing to score with runners in scoring position and two outs. Martin not being close on two stolen-base throws to second.
-- Reliever George Sherrill still looking out of whack, giving up a three-run homer to Ryan Doumit. Guess he can’t just turn it on once the season starts after all.

OK, so it wasn’t all bad. Encouraging signs included:

-- Ramon Ortiz may have struggled, but three other relievers the Dodgers decided to keep all came through.

Rule 5 pickup Carlos Monasterios, who had pitched exactly two games above Single-A in his entire career, pitched a spotless sixth inning. Perfect use to build his confidence.

Russ Ortiz, who made the team as a non-roster invitee, threw 15 strikes in 23 pitches and pitched a hitless, scoreless seventh.

And Jeff Weaver made quick work of his only batter.

-- Blake DeWitt did misplay one pop-up, but he went 2-for-4 and otherwise had a solid debut as the starting second baseman.

-- Matt Kemp and Manny each had a pair of hits and two RBI.

Now the Dodgers get a day off to bounce back against a team they should manhandle. Of course, the same thing was said last September when they had a chance to wrap up the division and lost three of four in Pittsburgh.

-- Steve Dilbeck