Little likes Garciaparra’s production

Nomar Garciaparra got a second consecutive day off Monday and might get another one tonight, but Dodgers Manager Grady Little said he was satisfied with the production of his No. 3 hitter.

Garciaparra has one home run and a .335 slugging percentage, lows for National League No. 3 hitters with at least 200 at-bats. He is hitting .273 overall and .426 with men in scoring position, second among all NL hitters.

Little said he was not evaluating Garciaparra on home runs but on run production.

“Nomar has done that for us this year very well,” Little said.

Garciaparra has driven in 34 runs, second on the team. But he is hitting .182 this month, with two runs batted in, one extra-base hit and one walk in 33 at-bats.

The Dodgers have hit fewer home runs than any NL team except the Washington Nationals. Garciaparra hit 20 homers last season, tied with the departed J.D. Drew for the club lead. He has hit at least 20 in every season with at least 400 at-bats, but he said he does not consider himself a home-run hitter.

“Sometimes I sneak them in,” he said. “I’m looking at it as, am I knocking in runs? That’s something you have to do in the middle of the order.”

Garciaparra, who has been on the disabled list four times in the last three years, has played in 62 of the Dodgers’ first 63 games. Little said he wanted to give him a break “not just physically but mentally.”

The Dodgers recalled James Loney on Sunday, and Little said he would use him to rest Garciaparra in the hope of keeping him healthy and productive. For the same reason, Little said, he planned to use Tony Abreu to spell Jeff Kent at second base.

*

Jason Schmidt’s fastball velocity fell back into the mid-80s mph Sunday.

“Is it a red flag? No,” said Stan Conte, the Dodgers’ director of medical services. “But it is a yellow flag.”

After Schmidt started three games in April, with his velocity in the mid-80s, the Dodgers put him on the disabled list, citing inflammation in his pitching shoulder. He returned last week, pitching six shutout innings at 88-92 mph. On Sunday, he gave up six runs in four innings.

Conte said Schmidt reported no discomfort Sunday or Monday and said he is expected to make his next start. The fluctuating velocity could reflect a pitcher regaining arm strength, or not.

“We don’t know whether the velocity has something to do with the shoulder issues or not,” Conte said.

*

Former first-round draft pick Greg Miller, demoted from triple-A Las Vegas so he could remedy his wildness, struggled in his first effort at double-A Jacksonville, walking four of five batters he faced and throwing a wild pitch with the bases loaded ... After Juan Pierre batted eighth Saturday and Sunday, Little returned him to the No. 2 spot. Little said “our intention is to have him and Raffy [Rafael Furcal] at the top of the lineup.” ... With David Beckham joining the Galaxy this summer, his wife, Victoria -- a.k.a. Posh Spice -- visited Dodger Stadium, filming a segment for the couple’s reality show “Coming to America.” After Derek Lowe showed her how to throw a baseball, Garciaparra offered her a bat. “How do you hold this?” she said.

bill.shaikin@latimes.com