SURPRISE, Ariz. >> If Scott Kazmir is going to follow a trail of bread crumbs back to being an effective major league pitcher again, he won’t be conducting that search as a member of the Dodgers’ starting rotation any time soon.
The left-hander’s lost spring continued Sunday afternoon. Encouraged by his performance in a minor league game earlier this week (and a post-game session with guest instructor Eric Gagne), Kazmir faced major league hitters for the first time in three weeks.
He labored through three innings that were painful to watch. Kazmir retired just eight of 18 batters in three innings (one hit into a double play), allowing three runs on three hits (one a home run by Mike Napoli), walking five, hitting two batters and throwing a wild pitch.