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Juan Pierre will begin his rehabilitation assignment with Class AAA Las Vegas tonight and is expected to return to hit leadoff even after Matt Kemp had compiled a .393 on-base percentage in 18 games hitting there in the lineup.

"He doesn't give us the power that Kemp gives us, but he knows how to lead off," Torre said of Pierre.

"Hopefully the stuff he gained while batting leadoff will help him confidence-wise," Torre said of Kemp.

"The sense is we'll do something," Manager Joe Torre said. "Ned has many irons in the fire. It's a matter of what makes sense overall."

Asked if a blockbuster might be in the works, Torre said, "As of right now, I don't see that happening."

Meanwhile, special assistant to the GM Toney Howell was seen at a Rangers-White Sox game.

Time: 12:05 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket
RHP Hiroki Kuroda (5-6, 3.79 ERA) vs. Rockies LHP Glendon Rusch (2-1, 5.09)

FWIW, GM Ned Colletti is not currently with the team, but is in Las Vegas.

- Pitcher James Adkins, a Dodgers first-round pick in 2007, has been promoted to Class AA Jacksonville, where he will replace Clayton Kershaw on the roster. Adkins had been pitching for Class A Inland Empire.

- Pitcher Wilfredo Diaz was released from Class A Great Lakes. Diaz made headlines this spring when the Puerto Rican reported to Vero Beach authorities that he was robbed at gunpoint near Dodgertown. He was said to be tremendously shaken up by the incident.

Eric Stults has been optioned to Class AAA Las Vegas after a poor start last night. Meanwhile, Juan Pierre has left the team and will begin a rehabilitation assignment for Las Vegas tomorrow.

Time: 6:05 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket
LHP Clayton Kershaw (0-2, 4.42 ERA) vs. Rockies RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (5-9, 4.20)

The Dodgers are currently scouting the A's, though interest in closer Huston Street and shortstop Bobby Crosby appears lukewarm at this time. What's interesting is that the team also continues to scout the Blue Jays, and they've been doing so since May. The Blue Jays have infielders David Eckstein, John McDonald and Marco Scutaro to offer and maybe even pitcher A.J. Burnett. Reportedly, the Blue Jays have scouted Class A Great Lakes.

The Dodgers will recall Clayton Kershaw to start tomorrow's game in place of Jason Johnson. Kershaw racked up two wins while he was gone and will be pitching on regular rest. A corresponding roster move will be made tomorrow.

Celebration thread is open...

The Dodgers roared back with five runs in the ninth inning against Diamondbacks closer Brandon Lyon to come from behind for a 6-5 win on Sunday that has the two teams tied for first place in the National League West once again.

With the Dodgers down to their final strike, Matt Kemp hit a double that scored the newly signed Pablo Ozuna to tie the score 4-4, and Andre Ethier followed with a triple that put the Dodgers ahead.

Jonathan Broxton despite allowing a run recorded his second save of the series, allowing the Dodgers two take two of three in the series.

Derek Lowe surrendered three first-inning runs, and Brandon Webb in his first appearances since the All-Star game held the Dodgers to a run in eight innings.

The Dodgers have signed utility infielder Pablo Ozuna, who was recently designated for assignment by the White Sox and in turn designated Luis Maza for assignment. Ozuna, 33, hit .281 with no home runs and six RBI in 32 games for the White Sox. Don't expect him to be the answer at shortstop, as he hasn't played there this season and has mostly played second, third and the outfield in his career. Developing...

Blake DeWitt hasn't hit a home run and has seen his batting average drop 45 points since being chosen as the league's Rookie of the Month in May.

But the Dodgers' rookie third baseman has also been written into Manager Joe Torre's lineup for the past nine games even with Andy LaRoche on the team when it was the more highly touted LaRoche that was ahead on the depth chart during the spring.

DeWitt is hitting only .258, but it's been his defense that has impressed. Memorable plays this month include a put-out that helped keep Hiroki Kuroda's perfect game bid going and another in Friday's 8-7 win.

DeWitt made a sliding back-handed stop of a ball and threw out Augie Ojeda to end the ninth inning as the potential winning run crossed the plate, and the Dodgers went on to win in the 11th.

"A lot of the young guys if they're not hitting well will let it affect the other side," Torre said. "He's pretty grounded.

"It's not affecting his defense. And he's going to give you an honest at-bat."

DeWitt credited minor league infield coordinator Matt Martin with working with him last year to improve at the hot corner, encouraging him to get his feet going on every single play.

"Sometimes you slip up on routine plays," DeWitt said. "You have to be consistent on every play. There are no routine plays in this game."

Torre said in choosing DeWitt to play the majority of the time that he was going by "feel."

"It probably worked against LaRoche that I've seen so much of DeWitt," Torre said. "It's not anything against LaRoche. Blake is filling the bill, so to speak."

LaRoche has made only three starts at third base this month, with all three coming against left-handed starting pitchers.

"I'm learning my role right now," LaRoche said.

- As expected, Chin-lung Hu has been activated from the disabled list at Class AAA Las Vegas after missing more than a month with blurred vision.

- Mark Sweeney is expected to be activated from the disabled list in the next couple of days, with a pitcher being sent down.

- Yhency Brazoban had his rehabilitation assignment stopped due to knee tenderness while he is recovering from shoulder inflammation.

- Class AA Jacksonville pitcher Mario Alvarez is expected to miss the remainder of the season with an elbow injury.

Andruw Jones left the game after four innings because he was experiencing flu-like symptoms, but not before striking out twice and committing a fielding error.

The Dodgers purchased the contract of right-hander Jason Johnson from Class AAA Las Vegas, and Johnson will start on Tuesday in place of Chan Ho Park, who will take on a more prominent late-inning role in the bullpen. Johnson was picked over Clayton Kershaw to start because of his experience, according to Manager Joe Torre. To make room for Johnson on the 40-man roster, Yhency Brazoban was transferred from the minor league disabled list to the major league 60-day disabled list. Meanwhile, Torre was unsure whether or not Mark Sweeney would be activated from the disabled list tomorrow on the first day eligible, but he is apparently healthy. Oh, and Jason Schmidt has been shut down again with shoulder discomfort for a few days, and his rehabilitation assignment clock has been stopped.

Today's game vs. Diamondbacks
Time: 6:40 p.m.
TV: KCAL
RHP Hiroki Kuroda (5-6, 3.43 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks LHP Doug Davis (3-4, 3.80)

You won't read much first-person material here, but this was pretty random. I was having breakfast here at my Tempe hotel (not the team hotel) and got up to get some milk. On the Alta Dena 2% reduced fat milk carton was a mug shot of none other than Andruw Jones, who as part of an educational message campaign says his favorite school subject his math, adding "I liked working with numbers. Math skills are great for figuring out baseball statistics."

James Loney was on the other carton, but I don't drink non-fat. Speaking of public service announcements, I think this one actually applies to Jones and Chin-lung Hu.

Here's what came out of closer Takashi Saito's press conference on Thursday.

- He said he hasn't considered retirement and expects to be back at the end of August.

- The 38-yearo-old also said Tommy John surgery was a possibility.

- He will visit his family in Japan for 10 days. He said he was told to just rest the arm and will not undergo any therapy or rehab while in Japan. He'll be reevaluated when he returns.

- He said he was sad to hear about the retirement of former Dodger Hideo Nomo and called the league's first Japanese player "a pioneer."

PRESS RELEASE:

Los Angeles Dodgers Announce June Winners of Dodger Pride Awards, Presented by Under Armour - The New Prototype

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the June winners of the Dodger Pride Awards, presented by Under Armour - The New Prototype. The Dodger Pride Awards were created by General Manager Ned Colletti, and are given on a monthly basis to the players at each level of the club's minor league system who play the game with a hustling, smart, aggressive style. The players and staff on each respective club vote for the awards.

"These awards are given to the players who not only perform on the field, but who provide leadership to teammates by the example they set," Colletti said.

The winners for June are as follows:

Triple-A Las Vegas 51s

Pitcher - RHP Brian Falkenborg posted five saves and a 0.82 ERA (1 ER/11.0 IP) in 10 appearances...he struck out 11 and walked just two in that time...the 30-year-old, who signed with Los Angeles as a minor league free agent in December, had his contract purchased by the Dodgers on June 25...he is 1-2 with 6.43 ERA in nine games with Los Angeles...Falkenborg went 1-1 with 13 saves and a 3.60 ERA in 32 games overall with Las Vegas.

Player - OF Jason Repko hit .375 (39-for-104) with eight doubles, two homers, 15 RBI, eight steals, and 23 runs scored in 26 games...the 27-year-old was summoned to the big league club on June 30 after Juan Pierre went down with a knee injury...Repko appeared in four games (one start) with the Dodgers before being optioned back to Las Vegas on July 4...the right-handed hitter, who was selected 37th overall by the Dodgers in the 1999 draft, is batting .282 with 18 doubles, six homers, 31 RBI, and 63 runs scored in 83 games overall with Las Vegas.

Double-A Jacksonville Suns

Pitcher - RHP Jesus Castillo went 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA (5 ER/30.2 IP) in five starts...opponents hit just .179 against the Mexico-born 24-year-old, who also was a co-winner of this award in May...Castillo is 6-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 19 starts overall.

RHP Travis Schlichting went 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA (4 ER/19.0 IP) in nine relief outings...the 23-year-old, who was signed as a free agent last October, is 3-1 with a 2.86 ERA in 17 games overall...he is limiting left-handed hitters to a .146 average (6-for-41).

Player - INF Adolfo Gonzalez hit .313 (10-for-32) with four doubles and three RBI in 13 games...the 23-year-old has played third base, second base, first base, and has served as the designated hitter and as a pinch hitter on several occasions...he also has been called upon to pitch on four occasions...the switch-hitter is batting .531 (17-for-32) thus far in July to up his season average to .338 in 58 games.

Single-A Inland Empire 66ers

Pitcher - LHP David Pfeiffer struck out 17 in 11.2 innings of work (eight appearances), including seven K's in 4.0 innings of relief in his final outing of the month, June 28 at Lancaster (Red Sox)...during the month, the 22-year-old changed his arm angle, which is much lower now, with great improvement and has had a positive attitude throughout the process...Pfeiffer is 1-2 with one save and a 7.45 ERA in 23 games overall...he has 36 strikeouts in 29.0 innings of work.

Player - OF Ryan Rogowski batted .329 (26-for-79) with seven doubles, 15 RBI, 12 steals, and 21 runs scored in 22 games...after seven games in July, he was promoted to Double-A Jacksonville...the 24-year-old, who was signed as a non-draft free agent in August 2005, hit .270 with 13 doubles, 35 RBI, 30 steals, and 48 runs scored in 74 games overall with the 66ers before his promotion.

Single-A Great Lakes Loons

Pitcher - LHP Victor Garate went 1-3 with a 1.85 ERA (7 ER/34.0 IP) in six starts...he struck out 45 in his 34.0 innings of work, an average of 11.9 strikeouts per 9 innings...the Venezuelan was selected by Los Angeles in the minor league phase of the 2007 Rule 5 Draft, and is 5-3 with a 2.04 ERA in 16 games (11 starts) overall this year...he has 95 strikeouts in 70.2 innings, an average of 12.1 K's per 9 innings.

Player - OF Andrew Lambo batted .320 (32-for-100) with eight doubles, three homers, 12 RBI, and 15 runs scored in 26 games...the left-handed hitter had four straight multi-hit games June 5-8, going 10-for-17 in that span...the 19-year-old, who was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2007 draft out of Newbury Park High School, is hitting .294 with 24 doubles, 11 homers, and 62 RBI in 88 games overall...the Midwest League All-Star is tied for second in the league in RBI.

Single-A Ogden Raptors

Pitcher - LHP Geison Aguasviva went 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA (5 ER/16.1 IP) in three starts...the 20-year-old is 0-2 with a 5.20 ERA in six starts overall...he began the year with Single-A Great Lakes, where he went 1-2 with an 8.38 ERA in eight games (two starts).

Player - 3B Pedro Baez hit .281 (16-for-57) with five doubles, two homers, and eight RBI in 13 games...the 20-year-old is batting .404 (19-for-47) in 11 games thus far in July, and is hitting .336 with 24 RBI in 25 games overall...he ranks sixth in the Pioneer League in hitting and second in RBI...Baez signed with the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in January 2007, and batted .274 in 53 games that year with the GCL Dodgers.

Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Dodgers

Pitcher - RHP Edwin Contreras tossed a combined 10.0 scoreless innings in two starts...he allowed five hits and struck out four in that time...the 19-year-old is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in four starts overall...Contreras is limiting left-handed hitters to a .140 average (7-for-50), while right-handed hitters are batting .348 (8-for-23) against him.

Player - C Keyter Collado went 4-for-14 (.286) with an RBI in four games...the 22-year-old has hit safely in each of his seven games in July, and is now hitting .382 with five RBI in 11 games overall...Collado was signed by Los Angeles as a non-drafted free agent in May 2004.

Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Dodgers

Pitcher - LHP Antonio Castillo went 0-1 with a 1.86 ERA (4 ER/19.1 IP) in four games (two starts)...he struck out 24 in his 19.1 innings during the month...the 20-year-old is 2-1 with a 1.36 ERA in eight games (six starts) overall.

Player - INF Enlly Morales hit .400 (30-for-75) with 13 doubles and 12 RBI in 21 games...the 18-year-old, who is in his first year of pro ball, had a 12-game hitting streak from June 23-July 5, during which he batted .392 (20-for-51)...Morales is batting .341 with 17 doubles and 19 RBI in 37 games overall.

The May winners of the Dodger Pride Awards...

Las Vegas:

Pitcher - RHP Jason Johnson (5-0 with a 1.31 ERA (5 ER/34.1 IP) in six starts)

Player - C A.J. Ellis (.298 (14-for-47) with a homer, 13 RBI, 11 walks, and a .441 on-base percentage in 15 games)

Jacksonville:

Pitcher - RHP Jesus Castillo (3-2 with a 3.55 ERA (13 ER/33.0 IP) in six starts)

RHP James McDonald (2-1 with a 3.82 (14 ER/33.0 IP) in six starts)

Player - INF Ivan DeJesus (.299 (29-for-97) with 18 walks, 24 runs, and a .412 on-base percentage in 28 games)

Inland Empire:

Pitcher - RHP Francisco Felix (3-0 with a save and a 3.86 ERA (5 ER/11.2 IP) in eight relief appearances)

Player - OF Matt Berezay (.346 (28-for-81) with six homers, 19 RBI, and 18 runs scored in 20 games)

Great Lakes:

Pitcher - RHP Miguel Ramirez (1-2 with six saves, while tossing 13.2 innings without allowing an earned run)

Player - C Alex Garabedian (.341 (14-for-41) with four doubles and six RBI in 12 games)

Extended Spring:

Pitcher - RHP Luis Garcia

Player - INF Pedro Guerrero

The April winners of the Dodger Pride Awards...

Las Vegas:

Pitcher - RHP Dwayne Pollock (2-0, one save, 1.93 ERA (5 ER/23.1 IP) in nine relief appearances)

Player - INF/OF Terry Tiffee (.486 (51-for-105), 16 doubles, three homers, 24 RBI in 26 games)

Jacksonville:

Pitcher - LHP Clayton Kershaw (0-3, 1.40 ERA (4 ER/25.2 IP) in 10 games (nine starts))

Player - OF Jamie Hoffman (.247 (22-for-89) with six RBI in 25 games) and INF Juan Gonzalez (.329 (24-for-73), five homers, 15 RBI in 21 games)

Inland Empire:

Pitcher - RHP Paul Koss (0-0, 15 strikeouts, 1.32 ERA (2 ER/13.2 IP) in 10 relief appearances)

Player - C Carlos Santana (.294 (25-for-85), 18 RBI in 24 games)

Great Lakes:

Pitcher - RHP Matt Sartor (1-1, one save, 25 strikeouts, 1.15 ERA (2 ER/15.2 IP) in seven relief appearances)

Player - INF Joe Becker (.239 (17-for-71), eight walks, 10 runs scored in 22 games)

Extended Spring:

Pitcher - RHP Luis Garcia

Player - INF Pedro Guerrero

Hideo Nomo has reportedly announced his retirement on his official Web site. Nomo, 39, won National League Rookie of the Year honors with the Dodgers in 1995. He pitched in three games for Kansas City this season.

Dodgers marketing and community relations person Steve Garvey speaks to TMZ.

Pitcher Mike Koplove and third baseman Terry Tiffee are headed to Beijing after being selected to the U.S. Olympic team this morning. Both are spring non-roster invitees with big league experience who are currently with Class AAA Las Vegas. Koplove returns to Beijing after playing for the Dodgers during the two-game exhibition series in March. Tiffee played in six games for the Dodgers this season and is playing in today's Triple-A All-Star game.

Maybe, but as of right now, Clayton Kershaw is the scheduled starter in tomorrow's game for Class AA Jacksonville.