One’s up, one’s down.

Is it progress when you’re no longer going backward?

The Dodgers placed catcher Rod Barajas on the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday’s game and called up A.J. Ellis from triple-A Albuquerque.

They also activated reliever Hong-Chih Kuo from the DL and optioned Ramon Troncoso back to Albuquerque.

The Dodgers have now placed 14 different players on the disabled list this season, a total of 19 different times. Entering Sunday, they had missed a total of 449 games. And it’s only June 19.

Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said Barajas’ ankle injury did not appear to be as serious as originally feared, and it was hoped he could be activated at the end of his 15-day period on the DL.

The Dodgers lost again.

And in other news, the Pacific is wet.

The losing continued Saturday, which looked remarkably like the past five days, which further pulled them into their sinkhole of a season.

The lifeless Dodgers were pushed around for the second consecutive night by the worst team in baseball, the Houston Astros mauling them for a 7-0 victory before a crowd that was announced at 37,124 but might have been half that.

It marked their fifth consecutive loss, matching their season high (low?) and dropped them to 31-41 on the season. It’s the first time they’ve been 10 games under .500 this year.

Making matters worse, catcher Rod Barajas left the game in the fifth inning with a sprained right ankle he injured chasing a wild pitch. Barajas is hitting just .220 but is second on the team with eight home runs. And backup catcher Dioner Navarro is hitting .158.

The Astros had lost 11 of their last 13 before venturing into that haven for visiting teams, Dodger Stadium, the previous night. The Dodgers are 15-21 at home this season.

There’s a catch to this, but with the Dodgers these days, isn’t there always?

You have your list of what’s wrong with the Dodgers, I have mine, Ned Colletti has his, and who knows, Frank McCourt may even have one.

Nowhere near the top of any list is what’s going on, or not going on, at catcher, though it is certainly on the list.

And this is not to say Rod Barajas and Dioner Navarro aren’t an improvement defensively over what Russell Martin was giving the Dodgers last season.

But they do have to hit a little, don’t they?

Both are in the deep end, and it’s not looking good. Both are slumping, and that’s following a fairly mediocre start.

The Great Dioner Navarro Experiment is about to officially get underway.

Make some attempt to contain your enthusiasm.

The Dodgers activated Navarro prior to Monday’s game in Florida, optioning A.J. Ellis back to triple-A Albuquerque.

The Dodgers are of the conviction that Navarro is an upgrade over Ellis, something I remain skeptical of.

It’s not that anyone thinks Ellis is the second coming of Johnny Bench, but he’s solid to very good behind the plate. He’s never going to hit for power, and he was understandably having trouble keeping up his hot September (.417 last 16 games), but he was still hitting a decent .267 -- which is 74 points higher than Navarro hit last season (.194).

Still, it was obvious from the moment the Dodgers signed Navarro what the pecking order was. Manager Don Mattingly even said in January that Navarro would compete with Rod Barajas for starting time, so you knew where Ellis stood.

Navarro, however, injured his oblique at the end of spring training and has spent the first three weeks of the season on the disabled list. He had been rehabbing the injury at the Dodgers’ Arizona camp.

A team has to call up a player from the minor leagues or activate someone from the disabled list. But for that to happen, a roster spot has to be cleared. On the day of the roster move, another player happens to reveal that he is injured. The injured player is moved to the disabled list. Like that, a roster spot is created.

Isn’t it strange how frequently this happens?

Well, the Dodgers had to promote John Ely from triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday and, suddenly, the pain in backup catcher Hector Gimenez’s right knee became so severe that he had to be placed on the 15-day disabled list.

The Dodgers insisted Gimenez was really hurt, as did Gimenez.

In fact, Manager Don Mattingly said fellow catcher A.J. Ellis was on his way to Albuquerque until assistant trainer Todd Tomczyk informed him that Gimenez was in pain.

Ellis had his bags packed.

“I was organizing,” Ellis later said.

Ellis has a minor-league option remaining, meaning he can be demoted without having to clear waivers. Gimenez, though, is out of options and could be claimed by another team if he's sent back to the minors.

But Ellis, who is considered the stronger defensive catcher, was behind the plate for the Dodgers' shutout victory on Saturday night. Gimenez is one for seven batting this season.

Gimenez supported Mattingly’s account.

“They asked me how I was feeling,” Gimenez said. “I told them it wasn’t getting any better.”

Gimenez said his knee has been bothering him since spring training. He said he would return to the Dodgers’ spring training complex in Arizona to receive treatment.

-- Dylan Hernandez in San Diego

Photo: Hector Gimenez during a spring training game. Credit: Jake Roth / US Presswire

It’s the return of John Ely. Anyway, his return for at least one game.

Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said after Saturday night’s game that the right-hander would be called up from triple-A Albuquerque and start Sunday’s series finale against the Padres.

That means, naturally, a player has to be sent down. That part of the equation he did not share. It’s presumed to be catcher A.J. Ellis, who has options left, as opposed to catcher Hector Gimenez, who does not. Personally, I’d stick with Ellis -- who turned 30 Saturday -- over Gimenez, who really hasn’t shown anything during the early going.

[Updated, 11:04 a.m.: Guess there was a reason the Dodgers did not announce who was making room for Ely on Saturday night. They were still making up their minds.

At first on Sunday, the Dodgers said Ellis was going down to triple-A Albuquerque and he was packing his bags. Then he was unpacking them. The Dodgers said Gimenez had right knee pain and placed him on the 15-day disabled list. Ellis was back.]

Friday night’s suspended game is scheduled to resume tonight at 5:30, and after a break of 20 minutes the regularly scheduled game will take place.

The Dodgers did not call up an additional pitcher for Saturday, even though they are going to have to send someone down Sunday to call up a starting pitcher, presumably John Ely. They could have just sent someone down Saturday (catcher A.J. Ellis?), and then sent that pitcher down Sunday to call up Ely.

As Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness’ Mike Petriello noted, the end result is the same. Only you’re sending Ellis down one game earlier (although I would prefer sending down catcher Hector Gimenez and take the risk he’s claimed).

And Rafael Furcal is already hurt. Hey, he made it an entire week. Manager Don Mattingly told reporters in San Diego that Furcal injured his wrist on a check swing in Colorado and won’t play in Saturday’s second game. Mattingly called him possible for Sunday.

Meanwhile, as you would expect, plenty of reaction to Manny Ramirez getting busted a second time for a drug violation and then retiring:

-- ESPN’s Jayson Stark said Manny takes a sullied legacy into retirement.

-- Fox  Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi said since his first drug suspension, Manny had been a combo of caricature, footnote and has-been.

-- CBS Sports’ Scott Miller has a final word for Manny: shame.

-- MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince finds Manny’s exit somehow fitting, and says it ends whatever slim chance he still had for the Hall of Fame. Note: He already had no chance.

-- The Times’ Joel Rubin and Bill Shaikin write the LAPD plans to bring some of its anti-gang skills to Dodger Stadium, and notes they are looking at limiting alcohol sales.

-- Times columnist Steve Lopez takes a harsh view of Frank McCourt, saying "We’ve got a minor league businessman running a major league team."

-- In a video, Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal reports that scouts are also unimpressed with the Dodgers offense and are concerned about James Loney (4 for 26).

-- ESPN/LA’s Jon Weisman takes a look at the first start of Fernando Valenzuela on its 30th anniversary.

-- Steve Dilbeck

There were no real surprises when the Dodgers announced their 25-man roster to open the season after Wednesday’s game.

Of course, as the five Dodgers who will start the season on the disabled list start to trickle back in early April, more bodies will get shuffled.

For now, three nonroster invitees ended up making the team -- relievers Mike MacDougal and Lance Cormier, and infielder Aaron Miles.

The bullpen, infield and outfield pretty much fell into to place as expected. The only mild surprise was the decision to go with three catchers.

A.J. Ellis and Hector Gimenez both made the opening-day roster, meaning veteran outfielder Gabe Kapler was released. Manager Don Mattingly said General Manager Ned Colletti still planned to meet with Kapler, 35, to see if there is a mutual interest in his playing at triple-A Albuquerque.

Gimenez mostly made the team because the Dodgers liked his bat, but he can also play first and dabbled some this spring in the outfield.

"We’ve been trying to build with pitching and defense," Mattingly said. "Ellis knows our staff, knows our guys. Hector did a good job too, he just doesn’t know the staff as well."

Meanwhile, remember A.J. Ellis?

He would probably understand if you’d forgotten. His has been the most invisible of spring trainings, which made for some serious bad timing.

In theory, Ellis (pictured at left) came to camp in contention with Dioner Navarro for the backup catching spot behind Rod Barajas. Even though prior to camp, Manager Don Mattingly said Navarro would battle Barajas for the starting position. Which told you where Ellis was in the pecking order.

Barajas started playing reasonably well, and after a slow start, Navarro too. All while Ellis struggled, managing just three hits in 27 spring at-bats.

His fate seemed clear: back to triple-A Albuquerque.

Then Navarro hurt himself swinging the bat in a workout before Thursday’s game, which sort of symbolizes how Dodgers have gone down this spring. It’s those little things.

Immediately attention turned to Hector Gimenez, this spring’s unknown from Venezuela who has been turning heads. Gimenez started Thursday.

But it was Ellis who emerged the day’s hero, drilling a walk-off, three-run homer to cap a seven-run ninth inning that left the Dodgers with a 7-5 victory over the Rockies.

Understand, Ellis and home runs occur just slightly more often than a Halley’s Comet sighting. In his last two seasons at Albuquerque and Los Angeles, Ellis hit exactly … zero home runs.

So they’re not his forte. No one claimed otherwise; he’s more of a slap hitter. But he performed well behind the plate last season, was liked by teammates and finished the season like something was clicking. In his final 16 games for the Dodgers, he hit .417.

When the Dodgers let Russell Martin go and then re-signed Barajas, you momentarily thought Ellis would return as the backup. Then came Navarro. And in spring, Gimenez arrived.

Gimenez is still the more likely candidate to stick if Navarro is unable to start the season, if only because he’s out of options and Ellis is not.

Still, it was good to see Ellis rise to the moment Thursday. There’s a week left, and stranger things have happened. Sort of like an Ellis home run.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo credit: Morry Gash / Associated Press

So maybe the first four weeks of spring training haven't gone exactly the way newbie Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly envisioned.

Thus far the Dodgers can’t hit, field or pitch. Hey, it’s all up from here! The hitting has been particularly lacking, but you can almost feel Mattingly shrug his shoulders when he tells The Times’ Jim Peltz that he’s not concerned:

"Not really. Not at all, actually. It just doesn't matter."

He’s mostly right, of course. If the Dodgers start well, who’s going to remember how they played in early March? If they don’t, however, plenty will.

Also on the Web:

-- Yahoo Sports Tim Brown talks to MLB’s new official historian, John Thorn, who thinks this whole Abner Doubleday story tends toward myth.

-- ESPN/LA’s Jon Weisman takes an updated look at how the Dodgers’ 25-man roster is shaping up.

-- Dodgers.com’s Ken Gurnick writes that veteran reliever Mike MacDougal has been pitching well (no earned runs in five appearances) and gives partial credit to a … neti pot.

-- Sons of Steve Garvey’s latest anonymous post finds a humorous connection between ESPN Gene Wojciechowski’s visit to the Giants clubhouse and a certain classic ’80s film.

-- True Blue LA’s Eric Stephen profiles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis and thinks his Albuquerque fate is sealed.

-- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick looks at the Padres post-Adrian Gonzalez and gives them a fairly favorable review.

-- The Daily News’ Vincent Bonsignore assesses how the Dodgers are handling the latest wave of injuries.

-- The Wall Street Journal’s Michael Salfino is under the impression Russell Martin will return to form.

-- Steve Dilbeck

We’ve got almost three more weeks of this? What are the Dodgers trying to do, bore us to death?

At this rate, somebody is going to have to wake me March 31 for the season opener. It’s not like spring training tilts to high drama, but precious little is going on with the Dodgers on and off the field. Unless you count starting pitchers going down.

It would be easier to put up with the annual spring mid-game lineup shuffle if there were several battles taking place, but like it or not, on the position side the Dodgers are pretty set.

Which is not to say, there aren’t many opportunities available for players to impress for later, to alleviate concerns going into the season or even outright win a job.

Veteran, established players can take a different approach, but for many spring is a time to step up and make their case. And here are a few players I’d like to see a little carpe diem from over the next 19 days:

Jay Gibbons:The Dodgers are planning on him as their starting left fielder against right-handers, which means in theory, he’ll start more often than not. It’s a risk to count on a 34-year-old based primarily on 75 late-season at-bats after being out the majors for two years. So far this spring, Gibbons is one for 17.

Juan Uribe: OK, he is a veteran and his spring doesn’t really mean anything, but considering he is the Dodgers’ only semi-major off-season position acquisition, it would be nice to see him do something better than two for 14.

Dioner Navarro and A.J. Ellis: Ellis probably isn’t in a fair fight for the backup catcher’s spot, but Navarro is off to a slow start (two for 15) and leaving the door open. Ellis, however, is only three for 15 himself.

Xavier Paul: The outfielder is out of options and needs to beat down the door, convincing the Dodgers they need to hang on to him. The Dodgers are giving him the opportunity (he has the sixth-most at-bats on the team), but so far he is batting .158 (three for 19).

Trayvon Robinson: He has almost zero chance of making the team out of camp, but he does have an opportunity to convince the Dodgers he would be a safe call-up later and a prospect to truly watch. So far, he’s batting .200 (four for 20) and has yet to walk.

Ivan DeJesus Jr.:It's not like he's stinking it up in the early going (.263, same as his on-base percentage), but I was hoping he'd tear it up this spring and force himself onto the team, maybe even as a starting second baseman, moving Uribe to third. So far, that's not happening.

Jonathan Broxton: Already chronicled, but providing a slight bit of peace of mind would be nice. Also a first strikeout.

Ron Mahay and Scott Elbert: I don’t care what Don Mattingly says, the Dodgers need a second left-hander in the bullpen. And one of these two needs to step up.

-- Steve Dilbeck

The Dodgers’ first full-squad workout of the spring is scheduled Tuesday, the first time the new/old gang will get together and focus on turning around last year’s disappointing season.

Whatta ya think?

All new and improved? Ready for a real title run? Same ol’, same ol’? Mediocrity on display? A team ready to blossom?

Listen, if things fall right, they could win the division. Really. They could also easily come in third.

The thing about year’s Dodgers is that they have a question at every single position. Uncertainty at each one.

If you give them that their rotation is solid, after that it’s all questions, with a first-time manager, a revamped bullpen, a struggling closer.

Now, some are of more concern than others, but there is nothing with reasonable certainty you can write in and expect out of any spot on the field.

At catcher, gone is Russell Martin, now in is 35-year-old Rod Barajas, Dioner Navarro, fresh off his .l94 season, and A.J. Ellis.

New is second baseman Juan Uribe, having to prove his fairly modest career year in 2010 (.248, 24 homers, 85 RBI) wasn’t a one-season fluke.

There are several spots where players are coming off poor second halves: first baseman James Loney (.211, .285 on-base, .331 slugging); third baseman Casey Blake (.234, .298, .383); shortstop Rafael Furcal (.243, .338, .364).

In the outfield, Andre Ethier has to prove his injuries are behind him, Matt Kemp that last year’s disappointment was a one-year drop-off, and that the aged platoon of Jay Gibbons and Marcus Thames can be productive.

And then there is Furcal having to simply stay healthy, Blake proving the years haven’t caught up with him, Barajas that his brief offensive outburst when acquired last year can at least be approached.

"If you go by history, and not just last year’s history, there’s more out of Matt and Andre that we saw last year, because we saw it in ’09," said General Manager Ned Colletti. "I think you could say the same thing about James.

"Second base, we should have more productivity with Juan. Not a high on-base percentage, but more of a run-producing bat. Raffy’s health is always tied to his performance and confidence. The catching, defensively I assume should be a plus, and the offense anything you can get out of that position is a plus.

"Casey, if he plays a little bit less, which is against his nature, will probably be as productive production-wise. Left field we have questions, there’s no doubt. We have a platoon there that could work. But just because you start February with an idea doesn’t mean you’ll be there in March or April or July either."

A few questions might be answered over the next six weeks, but most take the start of the season.

If, by some chance, all are answered in the positive, then the Dodgers could be pretty good. That, of course, is up to question.

-- Steve Dilbeck