Russell Martin

More than seven weeks of the regular season had been played, but Russell Martin went into Saturday without a home run to his name. Has Martin lost his power? He said he doesn't think so. "I hit five in spring training," he said. The All-Star catcher denied being worried. "I'm not really a home run hitter," he said. Martin hit 13 home runs last season but had 19 in 2007, the most among National League catchers.

The judge who presided over the Dodgers' bankruptcy case is a huge baseball fan. He invited an attorney to speak by saying "batter up," referred to last Friday's morning and evening court sessions as "a day-night doubleheader" and proudly shared his love for the Philadelphia Phillies. And so it was that, when all the shouting was over Friday night, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross held aloft the document he had to sign to approve the sale of the Dodgers. "I was looking in the order for language that says they can't sign Cole Hamels," Gross said.

Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti has a lot of decisions to make over the next couple of weeks, but few figure to be as difficult or time consuming as the one regarding catcher Russell Martin. The team has until Dec. 2 to offer Martin a contract or allow him to become a free agent. Martin made $5 million last year when a hip injury limited him to a career-low 97 games, and he could make more next season in salary arbitration if the Dodgers keep him. "Russell's the one that we're going to spend the most time debating," Colletti said Tuesday during a break at Major League Baseball's annual general managers' meetings.

Reporting from Phoenix — A new season beckons with an old question: Can Chad Billingsley be a more consistent winner for the Dodgers? The right-hander is coming off an 11-11 season with a 4.21 earned-run average, his third consecutive year of being on or near the .500 mark in wins and losses. Billingsley, 27, particularly struggled on the road last year, with a record of 5-7 and a 5.34 ERA. "Bills is obviously looking to — I won't say rebound — but be better than what he was last year," Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said.

Russell Martin is ahead of schedule in his recovery, enough so that he is slated to catch four innings of a minor league game today and has some club officials cautiously optimistic that he will be ready for opening day. Martin, who was expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks with a groin strain he suffered earlier this month, ran the bases on Monday and Wednesday. "I was pain free," Martin said. "It feels awesome." Martin was not ready to make any promises about opening day, but said his groin has healed to the point that he does not think it will keep him out of the lineup on April 5 in Pittsburgh.

He hobbled into a Dodgers clubhouse wearing checkered shorts, cocked baseball cap and a defiant grin, the precocious kid who once caught nothing but love. He was using crutches, but he was going to be in uniform. He couldn't catch pitches, but he would be in the dugout cheering for them. "I'm still part of this team, man," he said, as if to remind us he was still Russell Martin. But then he sighed, paused, and his pained words confirmed that he's no longer that Russell Martin.

The crowd remained standing. Russell Martin ran up the stairs of the dugout and raised his helmet. In a season of countless lows, Martin had one of his few highs, belting a grand slam over the left-field wall that broke a sixth-inning stalemate and sent the Dodgers to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. The home run, which came after an intentional walk to James Loney, was only the fourth for Martin and the curtain call his first. The timing was perfect.

Russell Martin is open to General Manager Ned Colletti's idea of returning to the Dodgers as a utility player, according to Martin's agent. "He's interested in the opportunity the Dodgers have described," Matt Colleran said. Martin, a former All-Star catcher, wasn't tendered a contract by the Dodgers on Thursday night and became a free agent. Colleran said Colletti told him he wanted to re-sign Martin to play second base, third base and the outfield, in addition to catching.

San Francisco 6, Dodgers 2 AT THE PLATE: In his first major league game since returning from a groin strain that sidelined him for most of the month, Russell Martin caught six innings and was 0 for 2 with a walk and a run. Martin said he expects to be ready to play on opening day. ON THE MOUND: Opening-day starter Vicente Padilla was charged with three runs (one earned) and four hits in three innings. Fifth-starter candidate Russ Ortiz held the Giants to one run over three innings.

Russell Martin is in town, and his presence triggers thoughts of a movie. "Escape From Alcatraz. " Martin is a Yankee now. When he gets in his crouch behind the plate these days, it is in the uniform of Ruth and Gehrig, not Koufax and Reese. Say it ain't so, Joe. Martin was the Dodgers' All-Star catcher in 2007-'08. Many considered him to be the best at his position in baseball in those seasons. He was a homegrown Dodgers draftee, part of the core built by the Dodgers minor league organization to take the fabled team to successes well into the second decade of this century.

From Phoenix — If we search for a silver lining in the aftermath of the Frank McCourt scorched-earth era, we might find A.J. Ellis. If the normal big league money were flowing for the Dodgers these days, it would be less likely that Manager Don Mattingly would have pointed his finger at Ellis as his man behind the plate to start this season. The most recent Dodgers catcher had been Rod Barajas, but he wanted $4 million to stay. He got that from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sending another dagger into the hearts of Dodgers fans.

It looked as if the Dodgers had made a significant mistake. On April 23, Russell Martin hit two home runs, giving him six in his first 16 games with the New York Yankees. Rod Barajas , whom the Dodgers signed after parting ways with Martin last winter, was batting .190 at the time. Five months later, there isn't a major disparity between the catchers' numbers. Martin is batting .236 with 17 home runs and 62 runs batted in. Barajas began Thursday hitting .229 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs.

Arizona's magic number to eliminate the Dodgers from National League West contention is 30. It's 42 games before James Loney is officially a goner. Loney's best chance of returning to the Dodgers next season is agreeing to pay the monthly rent on the seven houses Jamie McCourt owns so Frank doesn't have to pay as much to support her. Loney's suggestion the other day the Dodgers could still win a division title is funny now. He's the very last guy to be talking about making a strong run, hitting a combined .210 with five home runs and 30 RBIs after the All-Star break the last two seasons.

Reporting from San Diego — James Loney saw what happened to Russell Martin last winter. Martin was in line for a raise, but his production was declining. The Dodgers let go of the two-time All-Star catcher, who went on to sign with the New York Yankees. Loney could be subjected to a similar fate at the end of the season. Because he is eligible for salary arbitration, he is expected to receive a significant raise from his 2011 salary of $4.875 million if the Dodgers tender him a contract.

Russell Martin is in town, and his presence triggers thoughts of a movie. "Escape From Alcatraz. " Martin is a Yankee now. When he gets in his crouch behind the plate these days, it is in the uniform of Ruth and Gehrig, not Koufax and Reese. Say it ain't so, Joe. Martin was the Dodgers' All-Star catcher in 2007-'08. Many considered him to be the best at his position in baseball in those seasons. He was a homegrown Dodgers draftee, part of the core built by the Dodgers minor league organization to take the fabled team to successes well into the second decade of this century.

Dodgers middle reliever Blake Hawksworth appeared headed toward the disabled list because of a strained right groin. Although Manager Don Mattingly said he had no roster moves to announce after Saturday's game, the website Chattanoogan.com reported that Javy Guerra , 25, another right-handed reliever, was called up to the big leagues from double-A Chattanooga. Two other Dodgers relievers, closer Jonathan Broxton (sore elbow) and Hong-Chih Kuo (anxiety disorder)

Long before many of the Dodgers straggle into the visitors' clubhouse in Miami this afternoon, Russell Martin and Brad Ausmus will have already gone to work. In what has become a ritual before the start of a new series, the two catchers will find a table in a quiet corner of the clubhouse and begin poring over color-coded cards that detail the tendencies of the opposing team's hitters. "It's just like doing homework with a buddy," Martin said. "It's brutal when you do it by yourself.

The Dodgers should not be talking about Jerry Sands this season, other than to wish him well. The kid was playing for the Great Lakes Loons this time last season. In a happier time and place, the Dodgers would just let him grow. In this time and place, with their offense all too drearily resembling the one from last year and their resources all too limited, the Dodgers might have to turn to the kid and hope for the best. The Dodgers began play Saturday with an offense that ranked among the bottom five in the National League in runs, home runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Casey Blake was back from Arizona and in the Dodgers' clubhouse Sunday — and if the veteran third baseman has his way, he will be back in the lineup in Colorado on Wednesday. Blake said he was expecting to travel with the Dodgers to Denver, where they will play a two-game set that starts Tuesday. Wednesday is the first day he is eligible to be activated from the 15-day disabled list. Blake injured his back March 12. "If I stay here with the team, I'd like to play as soon as I could," Blake said.