PHOENIX — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre has narrowed his choice for an opening day starter to three candidates — Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Randy Wolf.

The field of pitchers in the running for the fifth starter spot behind No. 4 Clayton Kershaw, is much longer and much more muddled. But Torre feels with more than a month before the Dodgers open the season in San Diego on April 6, there is still plenty of time for the combatants to sort themselves out.

Torre and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt won't stretch pitchers any further than two innings during a second five-game turn in the rotation, given the extended length of this spring training. Torre will observe the group, and said that one bad outing won't cloud the process.

Two prime candidates, Eric Milton and Claudio Vargas, each tossed a pair of scoreless innings in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the White Sox at Camelback Ranch. Like fellow candidates Shawn Estes, Jason Schmidt and Jeff Weaver, they have a track record as big league starters who have been sidetracked by either injuries or on-mound struggles.

"Right now, Milton's been good, Vargas has been good, and they're definitely in the hunt for this thing," Torre said. "I don't have a guy we're looking at most right now. We're taking all the information and we're digesting it. We have time to see these guys pitch and stretch them out some, and they have time to show where they are.

"Right now, I'm taking a long look at the pitchers because I think that's where a lot of decisions will be."

Weaver threw his second scoreless inning of the spring against Milwaukee in a "B" game Monday morning. Estes was hit hard (seven runs, five earned, in 1 1-3 innings) in his first outing, against the Mariners Friday.

Both Tanyon Sturtze and Ramon Troncoso have had their struggles. Troncoso walked two of the three batters he faced Sunday, and Torre said he's more likely a bullpen candidate at best as he works to get his control issues resolved.

Milton, who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2007 and is coming back from Tommy John surgery, has thrown 3 2-3 scoreless innings so far after retiring six of the eight batters he faced Sunday. But he knows games in February and early March won't mean much without a strong finish.

"I'm encouraged so far because I have been away for a while, but there is a lot of competition and a lot of veteran arms on this team," Milton said. "We have a long month of March and a lot of baseball to go, so finding a comfort zone isn't as easy."

Schmidt, who like Milton has been sidelined for nearly two years, is on a slower track and has been limited to one-inning stints in more controlled conditions (intrasquad and "B" games) so far. After an inconsistent outing Friday, his next scheduled bullpen session was pushed back a day but Torre said he's fine.

"He's not backing off at all," Torre said. "It's not based on how he feels."

The top of the rotation has looked good. Billingsley was sharp in his first start, Wolf tossed two scoreless innings in his first start (before allowing two runs in two innings Monday) and Kuroda faced only one batter over the minimum in his two innings, allowing just one hit.

"I thought he was dominant," Torre said. "His stuff had real good action, plus he was throwing the ball where he wanted to."