Little Sticking With Alomar

JUPITER, Fla. — Sandy Alomar Jr. is still Manager Grady Little’s choice to catch opening day, even though it looks as if Dioner Navarro will be spared a trip to the disabled list.

Alomar, a 19-year veteran batting .318 this spring, also is scheduled to catch the third game of the season because left-hander Odalis Perez is pitching. Little wants Alomar to catch Perez often, believing their styles complement one another.

Perez will pitch with Alomar catching today, but the opponents will be minor leaguers. Little doesn’t want Perez to pitch in the Grapefruit League game today because the opponent is the Atlanta Braves -- the same team Perez will face in his first start April 5.

Perez has not pitched in a major league game since returning from the World Baseball Classic, where he posted a 2-1 record for the Dominican Republic.

“He’ll throw 75-80 pitches and we will get him to where he needs to be,” Little said.

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Chad Billingsley, the top Dodger pitching prospect, is scheduled to start Saturday at Anaheim in the second game of the Freeway Series. Billingsley will begin the season at triple-A Las Vegas, but the Dodgers want him to pitch in a big league stadium in front of a large crowd.

Perez will start the first game Friday at Dodger Stadium and Brett Tomko will start Sunday.

Although the 25-man roster will have been all but decided by the Freeway Series, the Dodgers will bring more than 30 players to Los Angeles. “We don’t want to tax the veterans too much,” Little said.

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Brad Penny gave up five runs in four innings and the Dodgers lost their fifth game in a row Saturday, falling to the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1. Penny left in a huff after plate umpire Casey Moser accused him of scuffing a ball. Penny had tossed the ball to the Dodger dugout rather than allow Moser to inspect it.

“I saw the ball was scuffed and do what I always do -- I threw it out of play,” Penny said. “[Moser] started cursing me.”

Penny denied doctoring the ball and said Moser tightened the strike zone after the incident, which occurred during the Cardinals’ three-run fourth inning.

“Any time an umpire gets into an argument and won’t call a strike, it’s no fun,” he said.

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Hong-Chih Kuo and Franquelis Osoria continued their battle for what was thought to be the last bullpen spot, combining for three scoreless innings. Little was so impressed that he wasn’t sure Yhency Brazoban would make the team, something that seemed a certainty.

If Brazoban starts the season in triple A or on the disabled list -- his arm has been sore -- there would be room for Kuo and Osoria.