Jonathan Broxton

Jonathan Broxton has ruled out the possibility of re-signing with the Dodgers, according to his agent, BB Abbott. "He will not be back in L.A.," Abbott wrote in a text message Monday morning. Abbott said Broxton is close to moving on. "He had multiple suitors and we should have something tentative in the next few days," Abbott said. Abbott said he had conversations with the Dodgers about Broxton but declined to say how far the talks advanced. Abbott had said Broxton was open to returning to the Dodgers.

Luke Hochevar, who spurned the Dodgers twice after being drafted by them in 2002 and 2005, allowed two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings Saturday to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 6-3 win over the Angels. Hochevar, who signed with the Royals after being selected with the first pick of the 2006 draft, struck out four and walked two and completely outpitched his counterpart, Angels right-hander Dan Haren. Haren seemed out of sync from the start, giving up consecutive one-out singles to Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler and Jeff Francoeur for two runs in the first inning and a leadoff double in the second to Humberto Quintero, who eventually scored on Cain's sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead.

Reporting from New York Jonathan Broxton could be sidelined because of a bruised elbow for more than a month, considering his rehabilitation program prohibits him from throwing a baseball for the next two to three weeks. With Broxton placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday, Manager Don Mattingly said converted starter Vicente Padilla would be the Dodgers' primary closer. Kenley Jansen was called up from double-A Chattanooga to replace Broxton on the active roster.

It sounds so good. You trade Magic for McCourt and how can it be a bad deal? But then you know me, Clayton Kershaw goes eight wonderful innings and all I can think about is Jonathan Broxton warming up. I hear Magic Johnson's name and I'm wondering who picks Nancy Bea Hefley up off the floor knowing Lon Rosen is attached at the hip to Magic. You remember Rosen, who was Magic's agent and who now works at Magic Johnson Enterprises. He worked for Frank McCourt's Dodgers, scaling back Hefley's work on the organ while turning up the volume on the music in Dodger Stadium and silencing Ross Porter.

This has been a season of extremes for closer Jonathan Broxton , who went from spending most of April caged in the bullpen to saving more games in one month than any pitcher in Dodgers history in May. Broxton, who saved only one game in the first month of the season, saved 12 in the second. He completed his record-setting month by earning his third victory of the season Monday night. Broxton went into the game Tuesday having saved 12 of the Dodgers' last 23 games and had an earned-run average of 1.16.

On the way to their latest walk-off victory, the Dodgers ran into trouble. Top of the ninth inning. Score tied. Runner on second base. No outs. But Jonathan Broxton emerged unscathed. Broxton struck out Martin Prado . With Brooks Conrad standing on third base, he struck out Omar Infante . Then Jason Heyward . "The game is not speeding up for him," Manager Joe Torre said of Broxton. "He's keeping the game at a manageable pace. He got some tough hitters out in a tough situation."

Reporting from Phoenix ? The Jonathan Broxton that James Loney described sounded a lot like the Jonathan Broxton who was an All-Star. Loney faced Broxton in live batting practice Thursday and said of his fastball, "It looked hard to me. He had some movement. He looked smooth and fluid. " But although Loney said he expects Broxton to regain his All-Star form, he conceded he hadn't seen enough of him to declare the pitcher recovered from whatever plagued him over the final three months of last season.

Hiroki Kuroda 's injury added to concerns about the strength of the Dodgers' pitching staff, chief of which is perhaps the recent woes of closer Jonathan Broxton . After a sparkling performance in the early part of the season, which resulted in Broxton making the National League All-Star team, the soft-spoken Georgia native has struggled badly in recent weeks. Broxton, 25, had given up five runs, eight hits and three walks in his last seven innings of relief work entering today's game, and has blown three of five save opportunities.

Wearing a slight grin, Jonathan Broxton cut the air in front of him with his right hand. "I was trying to veer the conversation," he said, curving the path of his hand to the right to illustrate what he was trying to do with words. In doing so, he said, he might have created a misunderstanding. "I wasn't singling myself out," he said. "I was talking about the general feeling in this room. "I don't talk about myself much." Only this time, this avoidance mechanism had undesired consequences.

It was shortly after 8 a.m., and Jonathan Broxton had already filled an old water bottle with brown tobacco juice. "Not completely," he said, shaking the bottle, shrugging. The Dodgers' clubhouse wasn't half-filled, yet Broxton was fully dressed and talking about the nerve required to navigate those spit bottles amid his wife and young son in their Georgia home. "None of'em have spilled yet," he said, the smallest of grins creeping across his giant whiskered face. Talking to Broxton is like pouring syrup over pancakes.

PEORIA, Ariz. — As a minor leaguer, Javy Guerra was used to watching opening-day ceremonies on television. In a little more than a week, he'll be part of one. "I don't think I've ever been more excited for the start of a season," Guerra said. Guerra, 26, is the Dodgers' closer. Around this time last year, he was on his way to double-A Chattanooga. He made his major league debut in mid-April. Since that promotion, Guerra's life has drastically changed. He saved 21 games last season and there were demands for his time in the off-season.

Like extremes? Packed into one day? By a single club? Then Friday afternoon was your kind of preseason day, the Dodgers managing to be both offensively inept and save-some-of-that powerful, all on the same little spring day. It came courtesy of split-squad games, the Dodgers crushing the White Sox, 17-4, while in a charity game played in Tucson to raise funds for the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Foundation, going meekly, 2-0, to the...

Reporting from Phoenix — Consider the excitement, arriving here and finding Vin Scully's car parked in the stenciled spot reserved for Dodgers "ownership. " If that were only true, but like Tommy Lasorda saying he never says something he doesn't believe, things are not always so. So far The Times has sent six writers here in the quest for truth. Most of them have left Phoenix singing the praises of the Dodgers as if this team suddenly got good. And believe me, you don't want to hear Dwyre sing.

Reporting from Phoenix — Javy Guerra was seated a couple of locker stalls away when Kenley Jansen was asked whether he wanted Guerra's job. Guerra laughed. Jansen smiled uncomfortably and shook his head. "I don't know, man," Jansen said. "I don't know what's going on. It's crazy to hear who should close. " Smiling, Guerra stood up and headed toward the clubhouse bathroom. "I'm out of here," Guerra said. "Say what you want. " Jansen laughed. Manager Don Mattingly has so far avoided a closer controversy by saying he is starting camp with Guerra as his closer.

Their visions of landing Prince Fielder already something of the past, the Dodgers are spending another off-season shopping in the bargain aisle. The next player they sign is expected to be former Angels infielder Adam Kennedy , with whom they are closing in on an agreement, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been finalized. Kennedy attended J.W. North High in Riverside and played at Cal State Northridge, but that was long ago. He will turn 36 in January.

Jonathan Broxton has ruled out the possibility of re-signing with the Dodgers, according to his agent, BB Abbott. "He will not be back in L.A.," Abbott wrote in a text message Monday morning. Abbott said Broxton is close to moving on. "He had multiple suitors and we should have something tentative in the next few days," Abbott said. Abbott said he had conversations with the Dodgers about Broxton but declined to say how far the talks advanced. Abbott had said Broxton was open to returning to the Dodgers.

Luke Hochevar, who spurned the Dodgers twice after being drafted by them in 2002 and 2005, allowed two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings Saturday to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 6-3 win over the Angels. Hochevar, who signed with the Royals after being selected with the first pick of the 2006 draft, struck out four and walked two and completely outpitched his counterpart, Angels right-hander Dan Haren. Haren seemed out of sync from the start, giving up consecutive one-out singles to Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler and Jeff Francoeur for two runs in the first inning and a leadoff double in the second to Humberto Quintero, who eventually scored on Cain's sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead.

Matt Kemp , whose priorities were questioned by club officials as recently as a year ago, was voted by his teammates as the winner of the Roy Campanella Award as the Dodgers' most inspirational player. "I'm surprised," Kemp said. He shouldn't be. Kemp, who will be presented the award by the daughter of the late catcher in a pregame ceremony Wednesday night, has played in 356 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the major leagues. "I've always wanted to play every single day," said Kemp, one of the leading candidates to win the National League's most-valuable-player award.