Paul

Lo Duca

“I need to get a little more punch up there at the front of the lineup,” said McKeon, who has seen the the Juan Pierre-Luis Castillo combo hit .236 (30 for 127) and score 15 runs in August. “It hasn’t worked as well as I’d like it. I saw where [Lo Duca] used to hit second with the Dodgers all the time. They had success doing it that way, so I figure I’m going to try it.” Lo Duca had hit 3rd for the Marlins since his trade from the Dodgers, but has plenty of experience hitting 2nd. His RBI totals may decrease slightly, but his runs totals may go up in the number two-hole.

LoDuca is hitting .200 this month, and .275 with three homers as a Marlin. He does have 31 RBI in 47 games, though, and is much better offensively than David Ross/Brent Mayne.

The three games are obviously of much importance to the NL wildcard race. The Marlins play in Chicago again next week, but it’s not an option to just flip-flop this weekend’s games to Chicago and next weekend’s to Miami for several reasons, most notably the Dolphins’ opener at Pro Player stadium. For now, the Cubs plan to wait until Friday morning before deciding whether to fly to Florida.

Lo Duca will be eligible for free agency after next season. Since he turns 33 in April, he’s only going to have one chance to cash in on a big contract. It’s unlikely that he’ll forgo free agency cheaply.

He gets a $1.25 million signing bonus payable through Nov. 2008, a $4.25 million salary this year and $6.25 million in each of the final two seasons.

Manager Jack McKeon wants to evaluate the five players vying for the backup catcher job, while the Marlins also hope the additional rest helps Lo Duca avoid his notorious second half swoon. He’s a career .313 hitter before the All-Star break, just .254 after.

With Dave Ross ready for a bigger role and Koyie Hill on the way up, this might not be the last time the Dodgers use Lo Duca as trade bait. They’re reportedly considering making a run at Carlos Beltran, and it’s likely that Lo Duca would be a part of that deal.

Lo Duca stayed in the game, and plans to participate in Tuesday’s All-Star game.

Tracy apparently wants to separate the easy outs. He also said Lo Duca could see some time in left field, especially if Shawn Green moves to first base. Since it’s assumed that new GM Paul DePodesta will manage to bring in at least one quality hitter prior to Opening Day, lineup combinations shouldn’t be worried about too much just yet.

Lo Duca apparently intends to hit for more power this year. The extra weight could make it more difficult for him to play left field, if that’s something the Dodgers have in mind. However, it might make him more of a middle-of-the-order threat.