Monday, Aug. 18, 2003 | 8:55 a.m.
Jason Romano knows I-15 very well.
He has put good use to the freeway linking Los Angeles and Las Vegas this season, going down to Triple-A from the Dodgers four times and being called up three.
Romano, who was 0-for-3 with a run and a walk in the 51s' 2-1 win against Portland Sunday at Cashman Field, was sent down most recently Friday. He has gone 1-for-9 in the three games since.
It's a trend that frustrates Romano, because of the pressure of getting back into the rhythm at Triple-A, only to lose it in limited play in the majors.
"As far as hitting, it's about the toughest thing to do -- go up there and sit for three weeks, then come back down here and start playing every day," said Romano. a 24-year-old outfielder. "You have to get used to playing with your legs and stuff. Hitting's all timing, and once you sit for three weeks, it's like spring training all over again."
Manager John Shoemaker understands. Shoemaker said he tries to keep Romano in the lineup when he's at Triple-A so that he can prepare him for future call-ups.
"I think that going to the major leagues and not playing a lot, then going to the minor leagues, it's going to take you a little while to get any consistency. If you play every day, it's going to take a little while before you really feel like you're at full strength because you haven't been playing a lot in the major leagues."
Romano has appeared in 30 games for the Dodgers this year, going 2-for-30. But in only three of those 30 games has Romano had more than three at-bats.
Romano learned the role of the "yo-yo man" last season. In time with both the Rangers and Rockies organizations, he made the trek from Triple-A to the majors five times. He said the biggest thing he learned from last year was patience.
"I just learned that when I go back (down), don't put pressure on myself in the first couple days if I'm not getting hits. Just try and have quality at-bats and get back on a roll. When I've come back, I've done well after a couple of games. So I just look forward to the chance to play every day, and going back up in September."
His variety of service to the 51s has also come in the number of positions he has played this year -- six positions: all the outfields, plus second, third and short.
"I think if I was 30 years old, I think I'd accept it," Romano said of the utilityman role. "But the Dodgers right now don't know how they look at me, but hopefully in the future I'll be an everyday player.
"When I get a chance to play at a certain position, just play well, hit well, and hope they'll take a look at me in spring training as a center fielder, and if they don't, hopefully something will work out."
In the meantime, Romano just tries to get back his timing in the daily grind, one hot Triple-A game at a time.
"I'm just playing every day here, trying to have fun, get more at-bats in, and when September comes around, get called back up," he said. "Hopefully I'll get a couple starts and see what happens from there."
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