Lo Duca Stays Silent on Snub

PHOENIX —  Though he wouldn’t come out and say it, one could surmise that Paul Lo Duca felt snubbed by Arizona Manager Bob Brenly, who did not pick the Dodger catcher as an All-Star.

Asked before Monday’s game if he could answer a few questions, Lo Duca said, “Not if they’re about the All-Star game.”

Brenly, the National League manager, chose his own catcher, Damian Miller, and San Francisco’s Benito Santiago to back up starter Mike Piazza of the New York Mets.

Lo Duca began Monday night’s game with a .318 average, four homers, 21 doubles, 36 runs batted in, 35 runs and a .372 on-base percentage.

He was batting .392 with runners in scoring position and had only 12 strikeouts in 277 at-bats.

Miller was batting .275 with nine homers, 36 RBIs, 31 runs and a .352 on-base percentage. He was hitting .238 with runners in scoring position and had 62 strikeouts.

Santiago was hitting .273 with seven homers, 38 RBIs, 28 runs, a .315 on-base percentage and a .260 mark with runners in scoring position.

“He’s taken for granted sometimes,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said of Lo Duca.

“He’s not seen enough to be totally appreciated for the kind of player he is.”

The Dodgers are in town to play the Diamondbacks, but Brenly did not feel compelled to issue an explanation or apology to Lo Duca.

“I don’t feel it’s necessary [to talk to Lo Duca],” Brenly said. “If our paths should cross, I’m not going to try to avoid him. Paul Lo Duca is having a great year, no question about it. So is Larry Walker. So is Brian Giles. I can go on and on.”

Lo Duca was able to take out some of his frustration with a double and a run-scoring single Monday.

*

All it took for Shawn Green to realize he couldn’t play Monday night was a few light batting-practice swings. While his jammed left thumb, an injury suffered during an outfield collision with Dave Roberts on Saturday, felt better, it was not sound enough to face Arizona left-hander Randy Johnson.

“I can grip the bat, I just can’t take an aggressive swing,” Green said. “I noticed I didn’t want to swing at certain pitches because the angle put pressure on it.”

Green, who sat out consecutive games Sunday and Monday for the first time as a Dodger, is not scheduled to undergo an X-ray or MRI test, and he’s confident he’ll return tonight or Wednesday.

“I’ve broken my left thumb twice and my right thumb once, so I know the difference,” Green said. “If it improves as much [today] as it did [Monday], I’m hoping to play [tonight]. I hate missing any games, especially in a big series like this.”

TONIGHT

DODGERS’

OMAR DAAL

(6-3, 3.63 ERA)

vs.

DIAMONDBACKS’

RICK HELLING

(7-5, 4.35 ERA)

Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, 7 p.m.

TV--Fox Sports Net 2.

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

Update--Dodger second baseman Mark Grudzielanek suffered a Grade I concussion--the mildest of four grades--when his head collided with right fielder Brian Jordan’s knee Sunday in Anaheim. Grudzielanek felt sluggish and had a headache for much of the day Monday, so Tracy did not start him Monday night.