Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol early Saturday after being stopped by the California Highway Patrol near his Pasadena apartment.
He was taken to the Pasadena Police Department and later released. He reported to Dodger Stadium as usual Saturday afternoon.
Officers stopped Belisario at 2:27 a.m. on Fair Oaks Avenue south of Colorado Boulevard after observing him talking on his cellphone, according to CHP officer Francisco Villalobos. Officers then observed symptoms of possible alcohol intoxication and placed Belisario under arrest.
Belisario said he was coming home from dinner when he was pulled over and dismissed the incident as "nothing."
"I was driving to my apartment, talking on the telephone and they stopped me," Belisario said in Spanish. "Then they gave me the alcohol test and it was normal. They gave me a paper, said everything was normal. . . . Everything's fine."
Belisario, 26, did not specify what kind of sobriety test was administered and Villalobos said he did not have that information.
"Whenever a member of your organization is said to be in violation of the law, it is disappointing," Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti said. "We will provide any help we can."
Manager Joe Torre said he spoke with Belisario about the matter but declined to comment further. The right-hander will be allowed to pitch while the legal process unfolds, Torre said.
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Japanese showdown
Hiroki Kuroda faces one of his baseball idols for the first time in the major leagues today, and he is unlikely to pitch around hot-hitting countryman Ichiro Suzuki.
The Dodgers right-hander has faced 80 consecutive batters without issuing a walk, the longest active streak in the majors. Suzuki leads the majors with a .375 average.
Suzuki and Kuroda never faced each other in their native country because they played in different Japanese leagues. Kuroda, 34, said Suzuki, 35, had several at-bats against him in spring training in Japan.
"He probably got a single off me," Kuroda said through an interpreter. "He's one of those guys that you don't want to face."
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Schmidt getting closer
Jason Schmidt could be closing in on a return to the Dodgers in the wake of what Torre described as an "impressive" rehabilitation outing Friday night for triple-A Albuquerque.
