Randy

Choate

Choate lost his balance covering first base on a ground ball yesterday and bent the nail while bracing himself.

Choate gave up seven runs -- five earned -- in 9 2/3 innings over 21 appearances. Lefties were hitting .280 against him and righties were at .400. On the plus side, he’s not walking as many batters as he used to.

To replace Russ Ortiz, the Diamondbacks are calling on another pitcher who was foolishly given a multiyear deal. The mistake with Choate wasn’t quite so costly, but since being given a two-year, $1.3 million contract prior to 2005, he has spent just a month in the majors. Choate had a 2.45 ERA in 33 innings of relief for Tucson. He could alternate between specialist duty and longer outings in blowouts.

It probably wasn’t intentional, but since it was the third time in the game that Nomar was hit by a pitch, something had to be done.

Choate has yet to make an appearance this spring due to an oblique strain. He is scheduled to throw live batting practice Wednesday and could appear in a minor league or Grapefruit League game as soon as Saturday. Barring any setbacks, the 36-year-old southpaw should have enough time to get ready for the start of the season.

Choate has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut, but he will only need a handful of appearances to get sufficiently warmed up for the start of the regular season. The veteran right-handed reliever posted a 1.82 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 24 2/3 innings last year.

Choate had a 5.68 ERA in 15 appearances during his month with Tucson. He’ll need to do better with the Diamondbacks in order to hang on to his 40-man roster spot this winter.

Choate made some practice throws, but was unable to continue. Scott Elbert is currently on the disabled list, so the Dodgers could be without a left-hander in their bullpen if Choate requires an extended absence.

Good news for the Dodgers. Choate was forced to leave Monday’s game after being hit in the base of his left hand with a comebacker, but no X-rays were needed. He should be good to go in a day or two.

The struggling Bell started the ninth inning with a comfortable 5-2 lead. He gave up a leadoff single, induced a line-drive out and then walked two straight Giants. At that point, manager Ozzie Guillen had seen enough and turned to Randy Choate, who nailed down the save. Bell has now been removed from two straight save chances, putting him on very thin ice once again.