A letter from camp on a rainy day in Arizona

PHOENIX -- The Dodgers have two games scheduled Friday and given the way their pitching is backing up, they’d like to play both.

“This is a day where you want two games,” Manager Don Mattingly said.

He may not get his wish though. The chance of rain is 45% Friday afternoon, when the Dodgers are scheduled to play the Giants in Scottsdale, rising slightly to 50% for the night game at home with the Reds. It rained Friday morning.

But much of the news Friday was coming from the trainer’s room and the batting cages Friday anyway.

Carl Crawford was back swinging a bat, hitting 25 balls off the tee and another 25 soft tosses. As long as he does not experience any pain, Mattingly expects Crawford to continue with that program before eventually moving out onto the field and taking 50 swings in batting practice.

Scott Elbert was scheduled to play catch again Friday. He is recuperating from a pair of arthroscopic elbow surgeries last year. And Chris Withrow will threw off a mound for the second time in three days. He has been sidelined with back problems most of camp.

Zack Greinke, who missed his bullpen session Sunday due to forearm tightness, was expected to throw again Friday. His next scheduled start is Monday.

And speaking of pitchers, the Dodger hurlers have been taking batting practice and Mattingly says he plans to scrap his designated hitter beginning Sunday. That means some position players will lose spring at-bats but his pitchers will start to get into a regular-season routine.

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