Giambi finally gets his chance in Vegas

Nick Christensen

Thursday, July 1, 2004 | 9:15 a.m.

When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed first baseman and Henderson resident Jeremy Giambi last winter, they had high expectations of adding a left-handed bat to the lineup, as well as providing depth at first base behind Shawn Green and Robin Ventura.

But then March came, and the Dodgers' backup hope became the Dodgers' backup problem. Giambi, who had shoulder surgery in 2003 while mired in a .197 season with Boston, suffered a back injury early in spring training and has been out since.

Giambi returned home to Las Vegas in April to continue his rehabilitation, then went back to Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., for more work.

He was added to the 51s' roster today, and will get his first real playing time since signing a minor league contract last offseason.

Now the 51s will try to work Giambi into playing time at first base, a position already bottled up with two of the 51s' best batters -- Brian Myrow and Luis Garcia.

"We have a logjam at first with him and Myrow and Garcia, I've got to try and find these guys playing time," 51s manager Terry Kennedy said. "I don't see any of them playing every night. It'd be nice if we could use a DH, but that's not always the case."

Pacific Coast League games are only played with a designated hitter when they involve American League affiliates. The 51s have a four-game series with the Salt Lake Stingers, Anaheim's top farm club, next week, and then have an eight-game block against AL affiliates -- Sacramento and Omaha -- starting July 23. Overall, 20 of the 51s' 59 remaining games will have a DH.

To make room for Giambi, utilityman Eric Riggs was sent down to Double-A Jacksonville.

"He was in a utility role when he came back from his injury and they sent (Reggie) Abercrombie down to A-ball, he went there to help them" Kennedy said. "We have Theo (Nick Theodorou) to play that role here, and (Riggs) was squeezed."

"No, I didn't (expect it). He has the numbers for it. We put some of our own guys down; I think Antonio (Perez) should have been there," he said. "I guess on this side of the world they're only sending one rep to save the league some money, because the game's all the way over in Pawtucket."

Theodorou, who later this summer will represent Greek baseball in the Olympic Games in Athens, is hitting .293 with a .371 on-base percentage in 62 games this year.

But that's a task easier said than done.

Wilson Alvarez and Darren Dreifort are options at Chavez Ravine, but Alvarez, like Nomo, isn't having nearly the year he did last year, and the team is apparently reluctant to put the injury-prone Dreifort into long runs.

But the options at Las Vegas aren't much more appealing.

Edwin Jackson, the much-hyped 20-year-old prospect who has had four strong starts with the Dodgers over the past 10 months, has struggled at Triple-A and is still working on his control. In 73 1/3 innings, Jackson has a 5.15 ERA with 37 walks, and the organization has been wary of jeopardizing Jackson's confidence if he has a bad outing in the majors.

Brian Falkenborg, sent down from the Dodgers just last month, has a 3.09 ERA, but gave up 10 hits and five earned runs in 4 innings Tuesday in Fresno. And Joel Hanrahan is 3-3 with a 4.76 ERA in 62 1/3 innings pitched. He has allowed 32 walks.

The Grizzlies now play three games at Cashman Field, beginning tonight.