BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Is Smith Touch Needed by Hitters?

Reggie Smith, who is the minor league field coordinator for the Dodgers, was on his way back from extended spring training when he spent the weekend in Los Angeles. The Dodger offense was in a slump and Pittsburgh was in town.

Smith, who also is a hitting instructor, talked with some of the players, including Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry, and both broke out of their slumps. The Dodgers swept all three games with Pittsburgh.

Then Smith left and the Dodgers went to Montreal and, as Davis puts it, their bats didn’t make it through customs.

But asking Dodger officials why they didn’t keep Smith around for a while to help hitting coach Ben Hines and coach Manny Mota get through the team-wide offensive slump is apparently is a forbidden subject. Manager Tom Lasorda evaded the question and Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ executive vice president, repeatedly spoke of his confidence in Hines and Mota.

“Reggie wasn’t in uniform that series, but he talked with several of the players and the guys felt good about that,” Claire said. “Reggie and Ben also have good communication, just like they did through spring training. I have confidence in our hitting instructors, and I don’t think it makes sense to change the structure. Reggie will see the club throughout the season just like Steve Boros (the former minor league coordinator) did.”

Hines said it sometimes is awkward for a minor league coach coming in to help. “But it doesn’t bother me, I don’t care where the help comes from,” he said.

Kevin Elster, who has been playing in extended spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., will meet the team in Los Angeles on Wednesday and team therapist Pat Screnar will evaluate his shoulder, which he jammed during the spring. Elster, who is under a minor league contract, will then report to the club’s double-A team in San Antonio on Thursday.

Elster is trying to make the team as a backup shortstop. The Dodgers have until May 17 to sign Elster, or he becomes a free agent.