PHOENIX -- Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake is glad there are still a few weeks left in spring training.
Slowed by a groin injury early in camp, Blake has had only 10 at-bats and he played the field for just the second time Tuesday. But he's feeling more like himself and he proved it by hitting his first home of the spring off Arizona ace Brandon Webb to help Los Angeles beat the Diamondbacks 6-3.
"We've been here awhile, but the games and game situations are new to me," said Blake, hitting .400 in his limited plate appearances. "We have been taking our time because we have it to take. It'll be OK."
The season can't start soon enough for Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who allowed one hit over 3 2/3 innings. He struck out six of his first nine batters.
Kuroda, who hasn't allowed a run in 8 2/3 innings of three-hit ball this spring, wasn't happy with his effort, but manager Joe Torre understood why.
"He just wants things to be perfect because he knows he's capable," Torre said. "But I thought he was very good. It's a big difference from last spring. He seems much more comfortable and aware."
Matt Kemp hit his second home run of the spring, a two-run shot off Arizona reliever Jon Rauch, in the fifth. Kemp, James Loney and Brad Ausmus each had two hits for the Dodgers, who plan to welcome Manny Ramirez back to the lineup Thursday after Wednesday's day off.
Arizona had only six hits, one of them a ninth-inning home run by minor leaguer Cyle Hankerd. Webb allowed three runs and four hits in three innings with four strikeouts, an improvement over a poor outing against Mexico's World Baseball Classic team last week.
"When I got on top of the fastball down in the zone it was really good," Webb said. "Curveball was good, but the changeup wasn't there at all. I spiked probably five of them and threw one good one. Blake jumped on a first-pitch fastball, but other than that it went well."
Notes
The Dodgers will have C Russell Martin back in camp Thursday after Canada was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic on Monday. ... Los Angeles LHP Hong-Chih Quo came through his one inning in Monday's "B" game fine. He and RHP Cory Wade will make their Cactus League debuts this weekend. ... RHP Travis Schlichting wasn't as lucky. He felt his troublesome back injury grab while fielding a comebacker in his first game action. He had an MRI on his back scheduled for Tuesday to search for disk problems. ... Torre said injury-plagued INF Tony Abreu, who has missed more than a week with a groin injury, will likely start the season in Triple-A.
