Managaer Jim Tracy of the LA Dodgers has the club on the right track. Without reading too much into early season results, Tracy and GM Dan Evans have put together a club that will stay in the division race.Dodger pitching, like pitching all over baseball holds the key to where this club will finish. Kevin Brown threw a very strong game on Sunday, raising hopes that the ace of the staff is on his way back to his dominating form.

Time will tell.

Righty Andy Ashby held the Rockies to one hit in his first start back from last year’s arm surgery. Ashby only went to the post twice in 2001 before going under the knife. Since he and Brown had the same arm miseries, they supported each other during the long rehab process. They are close friends.

Ashby works quickly, throws sinkers, and has pitched in the world series. His goal is to bring his arm strength up to 125 pitches, but as he told me, he shouldn’t have to throw that many pitches in a game. He feels good so far.

Hideo Nomo is a quality major league starter. He has an uncanny ability to pitch well in San Francisco which will pay off later in the season.

Kazuhisa Ishii has realized that he must throw the way he did in Japan. Catcher Chad Kreuter told Ishii to just throw his curve and work the hitters as he has always done (spot his fastball) and he would be fine. Who knows what will happen, but he did strike out 10 in a little over 5 innings in his first start.

Odalis Perez is brash enough to believe he can win every time out on the mound. Lefties are very important in this division and he will get every chance.

Tracy likes his bull pen. Eric Gagne is settling in to be an effective closer. Paul Quantrill knows the ins and outs of the eighth inning.

Tracy feels that Dave Roberts is a hidden gem. He suspected the same last year about catcher Paul Lo Duca. Roberts was buried behind Kenny Lofton in the Cleveland outfield and now is getting a full shot with LA. Tracy likes his instincts not only for tracking a fly ball with a great first step, but subtly moving to the correct position based on how the batter is being worked.

Cesar Itzuris hitting second understands he must give Roberts a chance to run if the centerfielder gets on. Itzuris can fly on his own.

This year the big hitters Green, Karros and Lo Duca will have a shot to knock the top of the order guys in, instead of each other, the way they did last year.

Mark Grudzielanek is content to hit down in the order sometimes giving himself up so the pitcher can hit and then turn the line up over for the next innning. A true team player.

So why do I believe Tracy when he tells me this team will be fine?

Tracy spent years as the bench coach for one of the best teachers of all time, Felipe Alou and then based on Alou’s advice that it was time to move on to a bigger challenge, became bench coach for Davey Johnson. He is a solid major league manager who has seen it all in his rise to the top. I respect his opinion.

I was particularly impressed with his relationship with GM Dan Evans as I watched them analyze the line up as colleagues as opposed to the “I’m the boss and you aren’t” dynamic between GM’s and managers that I have seen from time to time in major league club houses.

So, I think they are in the race for the long haul unless injuries knock them out.

Detroit named Luis Pujols manager for the balance of 2002. Felipe Alou was not going to stand in the way of another of his former bench coaches getting a major league job. Jerry Manuel and Tracy are two other Alou disciples.

I’m glad Pujols got the job for the balance of the year. Now A’s bench coach Ken Macha doesn’t have to sweat out whether or not the A’s would have granted Detroit permission to talk to him this summer about the Tigers job.