Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda looks to stay sharp

When Hiroki Kuroda takes the mound Tuesday in Cincinnati to open the a six-game Dodgers trip, the starting pitcher hopes the beneficial adjustments he made in his last outing carry over against the Reds.

Kuroda threw scoreless ball through seven innings in his last, Tuesday against Chris Carpenter in the Dodgers’ 1-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. That was a sharp improvement from Kuroda’s previous three starts, when he was 0-3 with a 6.19 earned-run average.

“There were a lot of things that I had to fix and I was able to make adjustments and I think that’s what you saw in that game against the Cardinals,” the Japanese right-hander said through an interpreter Saturday before the Dodgers played the Angels at Dodger Stadium.

Although he declined to identify the problems that needed fixing, Kuroda said “during this long season there will be ups and downs” and that “you learn from your mistakes.”

Despite being a veteran pitcher, Kuroda said a pitcher’s mechanics and timing can still get out of whack, and that “you have to be consistent mentally so that eventually you’ll have a good game.”

Kuroda is 5-4 with a 3.30 ERA.

“When you go out every five days, six days, you’re going to go through” periods when a pitcher loses his control, Manager Joe Torre said. “At this point, we’re very fortunate to have [Kuroda] feel as good as he’s been feeling, because we have not had him for a full season either of the last two years.”

Brotherly love

Jeff and Jered Weaver made history last year when they became the eighth set of brothers to face each other in a major league game.

When the Dodgers and Angels met again this weekend, it was more reunion than rivalry.

Jered was Sunday’s scheduled starter for the Angels. But Jeff, who beat his brother when the Dodgers won, 6-4, last year at Angel Stadium, is now a reliever.

Jered said not having to face his older brother again made it easier to prepare for this start.

“You’re still going against each other’s team, but I’m going against their lineup, I’m not going against him,” Jered said. “It’s a different feeling.”

Torre said he would not put Jeff in the game simply to have the brothers face each other again, although he would use Jeff in “an important situation.”

“It may be exciting to a point, but it’s a lot of pressure on both of them,” Torre said.

The pressure wasn’t there Saturday. Before the game, the Weavers took pictures on the field with Jeff’s 4-month-old son, Drake.

They also said their parents, Gail and Dave Weaver, would be in attendance Sunday. Their seats are in the Dodgers’ section, but Jered said their allegiance might lie elsewhere.

“Maybe they have mixed emotions,” Jered said. “I know they’re going to root for the both of us, but at the same time it’s me out there pitching, so they might have to be one-sided a little bit.”

Either way, “it’s good to see each other more than anything,” Jeff said. “We’re going to catch up afterward, go to the house, have some pizza, relax.”

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