Still don't know what kind of pitcher he's going to be for the Dodgers - he allowed a single and a walk to retreads Tony Womack and Ray Lankford to start Sunday's exhibition game, escaping only when both were cut down on the basepaths - but Jeff Weaver may have already produced the finest plate appearance Los Angeles will see in 2004.

Facing St. Louis pitcher Woody Williams, a former All-Star, with two out and two on in the bottom of the first inning, Weaver fouled off pitch after pitch at 0-2 (about a half-dozen in all), laid off two balls just outside the strike zone, then hammered a three-run home run to left field.

Williams was struggling when he faced Weaver, but instead of letting him off the hook, Weaver pretty much hooked him. The blast gave the Dodgers a 7-0 lead.

Weaver is 4 for 19 in his regular season major-league career.

Earlier in the inning, in which the Dodgers hit for the cycle and then some, Juan Encarnacion hit a mammoth two-run home run to left field. Pitchers would be wise to avoid low fastballs down the middle against Encarnacion - he really got full extension.

Amid the first-inning fever, Shawn Green had a long triple to right-center field - don't know why Jim Edmonds was nowhere in the neighborhood. This wasn't the greatest swing you'll see Green have - so it was impressive that he hit the ball to the wall. Unlike Weaver, however, Green remains homerless for the spring.

As I publish this, Weaver has completed three shutout innings against the Cardinals' regular lineup, one of the best in baseball.