Manny Ramirez planning to return to Florida in next few days

PHILADELPHIA —  Dodgers teammates Rafael Furcal and Guillermo Mota have spoken to Manny Ramirez in the last couple of days, they said Tuesday, and both described the slugger as distraught over his 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy.

“He’s recuperating,” Mota said.

Ramirez has not met with the team or the coaching staff since his suspension last Thursday, although he did meet with owner Frank McCourt over the weekend and has spoken to Manager Joe Torre and General Manager Ned Colletti by phone.

Ramirez is planning to return to Florida in the next couple of days, making it likely that he will meet with the team during the Dodgers’ three-game series with the Marlins that starts Friday, according to a source familiar with the situation who is not authorized to speak publicly.

Furcal, who is batting only .238, said Ramirez called him to talk about some mechanical problems he thinks Furcal may be having at the plate. But the two did not talk about the suspension, Furcal said.

“We didn’t talk about anything else,” Furcal said. “I didn’t want to ask him about that. You know, everyone’s asking him about that. I didn’t want to bother him with it.”

As to whether they expect to see Ramirez in Miami, neither Furcal nor Mota who, like Ramirez, have homes in South Florida, offered a guess. But Torre was optimistic.

“There’s a chance,” Torre said. “We haven’t been given any definitive information. And when I’ve spoken to Manny I’ve gotten the same drift. He’s really beaten up over this. He’s embarrassed . . . and I think it’s going to take him time to clear his head. We want to see him as a team. The players are here, they’re supporting him. But right now he’s not ready for it.”

The Dodgers have also discussed the possibility of sending Ramirez to their spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz., to work out in preparation for his July 3 return.

Sorry about that

Third baseman Casey Blake, who Sunday mocked the cross-armed gesture Giants reliever Brian Wilson makes after each save, said he wasn’t aware the pose was meant as a tribute to Wilson’s late father.

“I’m not here to disrespect anybody on a personal level,” Blake said. “Had I or anybody known that it was a religious deal or honored his father, I mean obviously you’re not going to mock that or disrespect that.”

After Blake hit a tying 12th-inning home run off Wilson, TV cameras caught him imitating the closer’s celebratory stance in the Dodgers dugout and Wilson promised to remember the gesture next time the teams meet.

On the mend

Jason Schmidt gave up three hits and an earned run in five innings of a rehab start for Inland Empire, the Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate. And Hiroki Kuroda, out since April 7 because of a strained side, threw 40 pitches off the bullpen mound in Philadelphia. Barring a setback, he will probably throw at least two more bullpen sessions before facing hitters.

Etc.

La Serie Azul, the Mexican League game originally scheduled for Saturday at Dodger Stadium then postponed because of concerns over the swine flu, has been pushed back to next season because a suitable makeup date could not be found..

Times staff writer Dylan Hernandez contributed to this report.

--

kevin.baxter@latimes.com