Tolleson hit on elbow by liner, escapes injury

PEORIA, Az. — Dodgers reliever Shawn Tolleson was hit on the side of his pitching elbow by a line drive in Friday’s game against the Padres but apparently escaped serious injury.

Tolleson was examined by trainer Sue Falsone and apparently sustained only a bruise when struck by opposing pitcher Anthony Bass’ liner.

“It might bruise up but nothing serious,” said Tolleson. “As long as it continues to feel fine I’ll just ice it.”

Coincidentally, the last time Tolleson was on the mound in Peoria he also left the game injured. That was March 5, when he felt a twinge in his left knee delivering a pitch. He also escaped that with no structural damage and was back on the mound in two days.

Tolleson also found it odd that this injury came off the bat of a pitcher.

“I know. That makes it worse,” he said. “And the pitch right before that went right by his face. It slipped, but props for him for getting me back.”

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Infielder Nick Punto returned to the Dodgers on Friday from his World Baseball Classic adventure with underdog Team Italy, encouraging Major League Baseball to take the tournament to an even higher level.

“I hope we can get owners to buy in, so we can put the best team out there,” said Punto, who also participated in the two previous Classics. “It’s a pride thing for our country, like you want to be an Olympic gold medalist. I’m speaking from an emotional standpoint. We need to get the Verlanders and Kershaws and the horses out there.”

The timing of the tournament still places a limitation on the pitchers that are available. Punto said he spoke to Michael Weiner, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, about the possibility of having pitchers report to Spring Training by mid-January or early February to enable their participation, “because it means that much.”

Italy pulled off upsets of Mexico and Canada to advance into the second round before being eliminated with one-run losses to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

“We didn’t feel like we were underdogs,” said Punto. “Obviously, on paper, match us up and we can’t compete. I get it. But it’s baseball, so you throw strikes and make the plays and any team can beat any team.”

Manager Don Mattingly even predicted that Punto would be the first of his players to return to Spring Training.

“The skipper was wrong,” Punto said.

“This is definitely an experience I would recommend to anybody who gets the opportunity. It’s great for this time of year, to get in real game action with an intensity you don’t get in Spring Training exhibitions. I believe it really helps prepare for the regular season.”

Punto said the improvements from previous Classics are noticeable.

“Everything from the crowds to the fan experience to the organization,” he said. “It keeps getting better. All the little things that come with baseball were on point.”

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Hanley Ramirez’s two home runs in the World Baseball Classic haven’t concerned Dodgers manager Don Mattingly that his starting shortstop has fallen back into a big-swing mentality.

Ramirez is only 3-for-15 for the Dominican Republic, but has only two strikeouts with five walks and a .981 OPS.

“I’ve only seen a couple at-bats, but he’s got a sacrifice fly and three walks in another game,” said Mattingly. “That tells me he’s doing what he talked about, getting strikes. When we saw him here, he seemed really good. He scalded the ball. The home runs don’t bother me. The fact that he’s walking tells me his approach is staying solid. I saw one at-bat, and his leg kick was actually abbreviated.”

Mattingly said Dodgers scout Patrick Guerrero told him Ramirez continues to take ground balls at shortstop, even though he hasn’t been playing the position in the Classic.