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Ramirez, defending NL West champion Dodgers host Padres

Apr 6, 2009 - 2:40 AM By Matt Beardmore Stats Writer

Los Angeles at San Diego, 7:05 p.m. EDT

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The Manny Ramirez experiment proved a major success in 2008. Now, Los Angeles will see where its eccentric slugger can lead the team in his first full season wearing Dodger blue.

Los Angeles and the newly-signed Ramirez open defense of their NL West title on Monday afternoon at Petco Park as they take on a San Diego Padres team that seeks to avoid a second straight season at the bottom of the division.

Ramirez, acquired last season from the Boston Red Sox in a three-team deal at the trade deadline, made an immediate impact in his National League debut, batting .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs to finish fourth in the league MVP voting despite playing in just 53 regular-season games. In the playoffs, Ramirez hit .520 with four home runs and 10 RBIs as the Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs before losing to the eventual World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies in five games in the NL championship series.

Ramirez, though, understands that the past is just that. After signing a two-year, $45 million deal with the Dodgers on March 4 (he initially rejected the team's one-year, $25 million offer) he's looking to lead the Dodgers to their first World Series championship since 1988.

"What we were able to do last year was great, but it's in the past," said Ramirez, who can opt out of his deal after the season. "We have to start over and take it day by day. We won a lot of games, but we didn't win in the playoffs and that's what the goal is."

Joe Torre begins his second season as Dodgers manager. With the media circus that surrounded him after he made the cross-country trek from New York following 12 seasons with the Yankees having subsided, Torre feels more at ease in his West Coast surroundings.

"I mean, last year I was still a little uncomfortable - new league, new team, and the new players that you don't know exactly what you're going to see," he said. "So I felt much better going into spring training with the thought of pretty much having an idea."

Torre won't have Jeff Kent at second base this season, after the likely future Hall of Famer announced his retirement. The Dodgers, though, remain solid up the middle with Rafael Furcal at shortstop and three-time Gold Glove winner Orlando Hudson at second after he signed a one-year deal on Feb. 20.

Andre Eithier, Matt Kemp and James Loney give the Dodgers one of the best young lineups in the league, but the pitching staff is a question mark.

With veteran starters Derek Lowe and Brad Penny gone after signing with Atlanta and Boston, respectively, Torre tabbed second-year right-hander Hiroki Kuroda as his opening-day starter. Kuroda went 9-10 with a 3.73 ERA in 2008, but won both of his postseason starts while giving up just two runs in 12 1-3 innings.

"I mean, he won two huge games in the postseason against Philly and Chicago that I think really got our attention," Torre said.

While Los Angeles harbors championship aspirations, San Diego fans could be in for a much longer and far less successful summer.

Coming off a 99-loss season - their worst finish since 1993 - the Padres can at least open 2009 with one of the best pitchers in the game, Jake Peavy (10-11, 2.85 ERA in 2008). The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner will make his fourth consecutive opening-day start for San Diego, but could become trade bait for the rebuilding club.

"Sometimes through the winter I did think I'd be throwing opening day and sometimes I thought I may be elsewhere," said Peavy, who makes his 200th career start Monday.

With Jeff Moorad leading a group of investors, the Padres are in the process of changing ownership from majority owner John Moores, who has held that position since Dec. 1994. Moorad's group, which is expected to gain full interest of the team in five years, holds a 35 percent interest in the Padres after the initial transaction was completed March 25.

Moorad, a former agent who once represented Manny Ramirez, said he'd like to keep the payroll between $70-80 million. Peavy will make $11 million this season.

"I think the fan base can support it, and to the extent that they do, that's certainly what we'll do," Moorad said.

San Diego fans, though, no longer have all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman to cheer for after the team withdrew their offer in the offseason.

Heath Bell, who has two career saves, is the Padres' new closer.

"We'll be as good as we pitch," general manager Kevin Towers said. "I think it will really boil down to health and holding leads, very inexperienced bullpen, different closer."

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who finished third in the National League with 119 RBIs, goes for his third straight season with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.

Los Angeles won 11 of 18 meetings in the 2008 season series between these clubs.