Changeup

Manager Joe Torre has made it clear that Blake DeWitt's play at second base will determine whether the converted third baseman makes the Dodgers' opening day roster. While uncertainties remain about DeWitt's ability to play his new position — he has made one error in five starts — he's making clear that he's advancing as a hitter. DeWitt was two for four in the Dodgers' 7-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday and hit his first home run of the spring — a three-run shot to center field in the third inning.

CLEVELAND — When Jordan Walden lost his closer job after giving up a walk-off home run to Tampa Bay's Brandon Allen on Thursday, he was not demoted to a seventh- or eighth-inning role. The right-hander whose 98-mph fastball earned him a trip to the All-Star game last season has been reduced, at least temporarily, to a mop-up guy until he can start throwing his slider for a strike. "Our preference is to get him into a low-profile inning and let him work on some stuff," Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Mark Trumbo didn't have long to think about the first ball hit to him at third base this spring, and that was probably a good thing. Trumbo, forced off first base by the signing of Albert Pujols, made a diving grab of Joaquin Arias' line drive to his left for the final out of the second inning, one of the highlights of the Angels' 9-5 exhibition victory over the San Francisco Giants in Tempe Diablo Stadium. "They don't call it the hot corner for nothing," Trumbo said.

PHOENIX — On the day the Dodgers broke camp, Chad Billingsley served up two home runs in the first three innings of a 6-2 defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks. His earned-run average ballooned to 5.91 in what was his final tuneup for the regular season, but Billingsley didn't look or sound concerned. "This spring, I'm very, very happy with," he said. "My curveball was very good. My fastball wasn't getting hit too much. My changeup was outstanding. " So how does he explain the results?

Scott Kazmir got the baseball equivalent of a summons to the principal's office Thursday, the second time this season the Angels left-hander has met with Manager Mike Scioscia and pitching coach Mike Butcher behind closed doors. Kazmir had a similar meeting on May 12, when he was 2-3 with a 6.82 earned-run average and struggling with mechanical issues. Kazmir gave up five runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings of Wednesday night's 6-4 loss to the Rangers, dropping to 7-7 with a 5.67 ERA. Thursday's meeting focused on Kazmir's long-lost slider, a pitch he has not thrown enough — or effectively enough — this season.

PHOENIX — On the day the Dodgers broke camp, Chad Billingsley served up two home runs in the first three innings of a 6-2 defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks. His earned-run average ballooned to 5.91 in what was his final tuneup for the regular season, but Billingsley didn't look or sound concerned. "This spring, I'm very, very happy with," he said. "My curveball was very good. My fastball wasn't getting hit too much. My changeup was outstanding. " So how does he explain the results?

The Padres lost, 6-1, Monday to one of the skinniest pitchers you'll ever see. Chicago Cub left-hander Jamie Moyer, 23, seems to have very few muscles--either that or they're hiding. He says he weighs 165 pounds, but also admits he had to eat a lot of steak and potatoes to work up that much bulk--but if you call it bulk, that's a lot of bull. He's so skinny, you can't pinch an inch or even a centimeter.

Reporting from St. Louis -- Every time Cole Hamels took the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 postseason, he had the perfect formula. "Sometimes you just have blind luck," he said Monday. "And I just happened to be on my game and everything was just working, and [we were] able to get the runs for me. " His 2008 National League Championship Series and World Series most-valuable-player awards can be attributed to his 4-0 record and 1.80 earned-run average. In 35 innings over five starts in that postseason, he walked nine, struck out 30 and opponents hit .190.

Actors Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson have sold the Los Feliz house they bought together in 2010. The 1969 Buff & Hensman-designed Wong House sold for $3.5 million. The restored post-and-beam house features walls of glass, a library, video security and solar and high-tech upgrades. There are two bedrooms, three bathrooms and 2,835 square feet of living space. The nearly half-acre site features a saltwater swimming pool. Reynolds, 35, and Johansson, 27, were divorced last year after three years of marriage.

'The Change-Up' MPAA rating: R for pervasive strong crude sexual content and language, some graphic nudity and drug use Running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes Playing: In general release

Mark Trumbo didn't have long to think about the first ball hit to him at third base this spring, and that was probably a good thing. Trumbo, forced off first base by the signing of Albert Pujols, made a diving grab of Joaquin Arias' line drive to his left for the final out of the second inning, one of the highlights of the Angels' 9-5 exhibition victory over the San Francisco Giants in Tempe Diablo Stadium. "They don't call it the hot corner for nothing," Trumbo said.

Like a mid-season coaching hire for a losing ballclub, director Bennett Miller inherited an uphill battle when he was brought in as the director of a shaky project called "Moneyball," but he had two key players on his side — and both of them were named Brad Pitt. With its half-dozen Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations, "Moneyball" is now viewed as a quality contender in the Oscar nomination race, but the sports-film-with-a-message was clearly a longshot project back when Miller stepped in following the summer 2009 departure of Steven Soderbergh, who had spent years developing the script.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Warner Bros., $28.98; Blu-ray, $29.98/$35.99 All's well that ends well! The Harry Potter film series has varied in quality over the last 10 years—sometimes tedious, sometimes busy, sometimes too shallow and cutesy, sometimes too brooding and adult — but the creators stick the landing with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," a gripping finale that puts everyone's favorite boy wizard...

Reporting from St. Louis -- Every time Cole Hamels took the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 postseason, he had the perfect formula. "Sometimes you just have blind luck," he said Monday. "And I just happened to be on my game and everything was just working, and [we were] able to get the runs for me. " His 2008 National League Championship Series and World Series most-valuable-player awards can be attributed to his 4-0 record and 1.80 earned-run average. In 35 innings over five starts in that postseason, he walked nine, struck out 30 and opponents hit .190.

C.J. Wilson is sitting half-naked on a folding chair in a room full of similarly undressed men sitting on similar folding chairs. It's an unusual setting for a complex conversation. But then just about any conversation with the Texas Rangers pitcher — who will be on the mound when his team opens the American League division series against Tampa Bay on Friday in Arlington — is sure to be unusual in one way or another. This particular discussion darts about with the unpredictability of Wilson's four-seam fastball, from auto racing and South Africa to screenwriting and his late grandfather, whose name is tattooed on Wilson's pitching arm. That, of course, would be Wilson's left arm. In baseball, left-handedness is often synonymous with eccentricity or just plain goofiness.

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was the top banana this weekend, swinging past industry expectations to easily conquer the box office. The prequel to the 1968 classic, which stars James Franco and a handful of digitalized simians, grossed a strong $54 million domestically, according to an estimate from distributor Twentieth Century Fox. Heading into the weekend, those who had seen prerelease audience surveys had projected that the film would collect...

I hate to sound like part of the appearance-is-everything crowd, but getting used to a blond-haired, blue-eyed James Bond will be like getting used to a blond Superman ["Here Comes Trouble, Nov. 12]. ROBERT PAYNE Studio City A Sunday Calendar cover story about Daniel Craig and the new Bond movie; a Business article about Daniel Craig, Sony and the new Bond movie ["Sony Shakes the Dice With 'Casino Royale,' " Nov. 10], helping the reader out by letting us know that it will be a huge Sony product-placement vehicle; and a big picture of Daniel Craig on the front of Nov. 5's Calendar.

Relief pitcher Felix Rodriguez was one of nine players sent to the minor leagues Monday, but Rodriguez figures the setback is temporary, since he is considered the Dodgers' closer of the future. "I know I'll be back," said Rodriguez, a 23-year-old from Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic, whose fastball is consistently clocked at 94-96 mph. "I need to work on my changeup, then I'll be back." How did Rodriguez develop his fastball, which has scouts raving about his future?

After this weekend's box-office receipts are tallied, "The Change-Up" will wish it could trade places with "Rise of the Planet of the Apes. " A prequel to the 1968 cult classic that shows how simians took over Earth, "Apes" is expected to swing to the top of the box office with a pretty good start of about $35 million, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. "The Change-Up," an R-rated comedy about two men who accidentally switch bodies, is expected to bring in a modest $13 million to $15 million.

'The Change-Up' MPAA rating: R for pervasive strong crude sexual content and language, some graphic nudity and drug use Running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes Playing: In general release