Martinez aims to get well

Like most people over age 30, Los Angeles Dodgers utility player Ramon Martinez has discovered the older he gets, the harder he has to work to stay in shape.

The 34-year-old, who strained his back in early June, joined the 51s on Monday on a major league rehabilitation assignment.

"It's feeling pretty good," Martinez said of his back, which locked up on him while he was running sprints. "My rhythm at the plate is a bit off, but that's why I'm here, to work on it."

Limited to three plate appearances in each of his first two games with Las Vegas, Martinez drilled a double in his first at-bat with the 51s and went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 10-4 win over Fresno.

He went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's 9-5 victory over the Grizzlies, sending a deep drive to right field in his final at-bat that Fresno's Nathan Schierholtz caught while backing into the wall.

Martinez, in his second season with the Dodgers, 10th in the majors and 15th in professional baseball, has a .266 career batting average.

He hit .278 last season in 82 games and was even better in the clutch, batting .339 (19-for-56) with runners in scoring position and .429 (12-for-28) in close and late situations.

Martinez hit .328 before last year's All-Star break but has been mired in a slump this year, batting a paltry .153 (9-for-59) in 26 games for Los Angeles.

"I've been hitting some balls right at people. Not to make excuses, but that's how baseball is," he said. "When you have a good year, everything goes well for you. When you have a bad year, it goes the other way."

The versatile Martinez is almost always on top of his game on defense. He played all four infield positions and right field for the Dodgers last season.

"He's a very, very good defensive player," 51s manager Lorenzo Bundy said. "He's also a very athletic player."

Bundy said many younger players have a hard time accepting a utility role, preventing themselves from building a productive career in that capacity.

"Sometimes ego gets in the way, but Ramon is one of those guys who knows his role, accepts it and is very good at it," Bundy said.

A consummate professional, Martinez said there are several reasons he's been able to stick around the big leagues so long.

"I play so many positions, and I play them well," he said. "I'm a guy who keeps his mouth shut. I don't go in the manager's office if I'm not playing a lot. That has a lot to do with it, and being able to produce whenever they give me a chance.

"That's a positive for me, because a lot of guys get the opportunity to play and don't take advantage of it."

• NOTE -- A season-high, overflow crowd of 12,179 attended Tuesday's game, which was followed by a fireworks display. ... The 51s, who went 3-4 on their homestand, head to Tucson today for the first of five road games leading into the All-Star break next week. Las Vegas will play 16 of its first 20 games after the break at home.