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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir left Mondays game against Colorado after his first pitch of the second inning because of tightness on his left side.

The 33-year-old lefthander said he was tight in his hip and through warmups and and the first inning, and told pitching coach Rick Honeycutt about it between innings.

I couldnt fire my backside, so there was no power, no direction, and its a tough way to pitch, Kazmir said. Its something where you scratch your head because weve been on it constantly.

He was 10-6 with a 4.56 in 26 last starts last season, his first with the Dodgers, struggling with mechanics and flexibility because of injuries.

The frustration is through the roof right now, said Kazmir, who was making his second spring training start. Ive been dealing with this for a while now. With all the treatment and exercises I do and to be in this spot right now is definitely a head scratcher.

Reds claim Walker off waivers from Braves The Cincinnati Reds claimed first baseman Christian Walker off waivers from the Atlanta Braves, bringing him to his third organization in two months.

Walker, 25, has spent most of his time in the minors. He appeared in 13 games for Baltimore from 2014-15, going four for 27 with a solo homer. The Braves claimed him off waivers last month.

To make space on their 40-man roster, the Reds designated reliever Jumbo Diaz for assignment. Diaz, 33, has pitched for the Reds each of the last three seasons. He went 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 45 games last year.

Israel tops South Korea at WBC Scott Burcham singled in the winning run in extra innings Monday to lead Israel over host South Korea 2-1 in the opening game of the World Baseball Classic.

Israel got on the scoreboard in the second inning on a bases-loaded walk but South Korea tied it in the fifth when Seo Geong-chan singled to left, scoring Kim Jae-ho from third.

Burchams infield single to second base scored the runner from third in the 10th inning. Josh Zeid retired the side in the bottom of the 10th and was the winning pitcher.

First-round games also are being played in Miami, Tokyo and Guadalajara. Second-round games will be in San Diego and Tokyo, while the championship round is at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles from March 20-22.

Rangers Beltre says hell play in WBC Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre says he will play for the Dominican Republic in the first round of the World Baseball Classic.

The five-time Gold Glove winner said Monday in the Rangers spring training clubhouse that he feels better after playing some exhibition games. Beltre, 37, missed the first week of games for Texas because of a strained left calf, an injury he suffered when working out at home before reporting to camp.

The Dominican Republic plays its first WBC game Thursday in Miami.

Beltre plans to stay in Arizona with the Rangers as long as he can to get treatment and more at-bats before joining the Dominican team in Miami. He was in the Rangers lineup for their game Monday against Seattle.

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MLB notes: Dodgers' Kazmir leaves game with tightness in side - STLtoday.com