Andruw Jones was dropped to SIXTH, not fifth. It would be hard for him to be dropped to fifth, given that he had hit there in every game this season. ... Here's the news, which is basically that 1) Ned made a strong comment in which he said it would be hard to send DeWitt to the minors if he keeps playing this well; 2) Mike Myers re-signed and went to Vegas; and 3) the coaching boxes at Dodger Stadium will be widened to 20 feet, the maximum allowed, instead of their current 15 feet. Time for dinner.

By Tony Jackson
Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO -- Dodgers third basemen Tony Abreu, Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche, all of whom began the season on the 15-day disabled list, are progressing well on their respective rehabilitation programs, general manager Ned Colletti said. But what will happen when they start returning isn't exactly clear at this point.
Blake DeWitt, the rookie who has started every game at third this season and who wouldn't be anywhere near the majors if not for all those injuries, entered Friday night's game at San Diego batting .556 and having reached base in eight of his 12 plate appearances.
``I would have a hard time sending him down right now,'' Colletti said. ``Day by day, he is earning an opportunity to stay.''
DeWitt initially wasn't even invited to major-league spring training and was added to the camp roster essentially as a stand-in at third after Garciaparra and LaRoche were injured in the same game on March 7. But DeWitt played well enough in spring training to at least warrant consideration for the opening-day roster. When Abreu also went down, DeWitt became the club's only choice at third despite never having played at any level higher than Double-A.
Finally, when free-agent second baseman Marcus Giles backed out of an agreement earlier this week to report to Triple-A Las Vegas and get comfortable playing third, it became clear the position would belong to DeWitt for the time being, and possibly longer.

Veteran left-hander Mike Myers, who came to spring training on a minor-league contract but was unconditionally released on March 27 when he didn't make the club, was re-signed this week to another minor-league contract after he agreed to report to Triple-A Las Vegas. The new deal has an escape clause that Myers can exercise on April 27 if he isn't in the majors, something that certainly isn't a given.
``He went home (to suburban Denver) for (a few) days, but then he left me a message congratulating me on (winning) opening day and said he would go to Vegas for a time,'' Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. ``There are no promises.''
Myers, 38, gave up eight runs in 7 2/3 innings for the Dodgers this spring and considered retiring after his release.
``I planned on being with the Dodgers, but I still have a passion to play,'' Myers told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. ``I love this game. When I'm down here, I'll try to help some of the younger guys out and just have a good time.''

Torre said the third-base coaching box at Dodger Stadium will be widened to the allowable limit of 20 feet before the next home stand. The coaching boxes were only 15 feet wide during this week's series with San Francisco, when third-base coach Larry Bowa was ejected for arguing after umpire Ed Montague ordered him to stay within the chalk outline.
After the melee, Bowa was suspended for three games by Major League Baseball. He will return in time for Sunday's game with the Padres. The coaching boxes at Petco Park also were widened to 20 feet this week, allowing third-base coaches to move closer to home plate and thus gain an unobstructed view of any runner leading off second.