James Loney Gets a Look While Garciaparra Rests

Dodgers first baseman Nomar Garciaparra has told manager Grady Little he may be able to return from his strained oblique injury as soon as Tuesday, but Little will be tempted to give rookie James Loney a try instead. There's little to lose to let Garciaparra rest longer, especially considering the risk of returning him too soon from his rib cage strain. Little will likely want to see whether Loney can tranfer his hot minor league hitting to Los Angeles, as he is leading the Pacific Coast League with a .372 average. If Garciparra looks strong when he participates in batting practice sometime at midweek, Loney, a first baseman, still may get playing time in the outfield, where he has played intermittently for the Las Vegas '51s and amply demonstrated his powerful if not always accurate throwing arm.