Projected Rotation Is Having Problems

KISSIMMEE, Fla. —  The projected rotation has struggled in exhibition play, stirring concern about the team’s foundation.

Manager Jim Tracy and pitching coach Jim Colborn remain confident, saying everything will be fine once the season begins.

“I’m not going to put the cart before the horse,” Tracy said Thursday. “We’ll get into the season and see where that takes us.... Let the lights come on and see what kind of response we get.”

Odalis Perez has been the only effective starter this spring, going 1-0 with an 0.60 earned-run average in four appearances spanning 15 innings. Hideo Nomo, Jeff Weaver, Kazuhisa Ishii and Edwin Jackson have ERAs of 8.47 or higher.

Nomo, coming off shoulder surgery, is 0-3 with a 9.17 ERA, but he’s a proven ace. Ishii has shown progress recently in revamping his delivery, though he took the loss in the Houston Astros’ 7-2 victory at Osceola County Stadium on Thursday.

Weaver is off to a slow start, trying to revive his career after a bad experience with the New York Yankees. The right-hander is 1-2 with an 8.47 ERA, has given up 35 hits in 17 innings and opponents are batting .432 against him.

In five appearances, Jackson is 1-1 with an 8.59 ERA. Jackson gave up six hits and four runs against Houston, and it appears he’s no longer assured of a roster spot.

“I’m committed to my starters,” Colborn said. “As for everybody else’s peace of mind, we’d like to see some sharpness from them [soon].

“We’d like to see something that gets close to season readiness. I think they will.”

Wilson Alvarez thrived in the rotation once the Dodgers finally turned to him last season, and the veteran left-hander is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three appearances. And then there’s Jose Lima.

The flamboyant nonroster pitcher is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings. Lima is expected to make the opening-day roster.

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Despite giving up three runs in the third inning, Ishii was pleased with his five-inning outing against Houston.

“If I pitch one bad inning, as long as I can adjust and come back and have a good inning the next inning, I feel good,” Ishii said through an interpreter. “There weren’t too many pitches where they got the whole ball. That was good.”

Ishii (1-3) lowered his ERA from 13.50 to 10.53.

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Second baseman Alex Cora went one for three with a run-scoring single in his first game. Cora, who said he expects to be in the opening-day lineup, had been sidelined while recovering from a broken right forearm.

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Third baseman Adrian Beltre, sidelined four games because of biceps tendinitis, said he hopes to play today against the Baltimore Orioles at Dodgertown.

“I played catch today and it didn’t hurt me,” Beltre said. I’ll go do everything in the pregame [drills] and then we’ll see.”