San Diego, CA -- (Sports Network) - Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez spoke to the media Friday, prior to making his scheduled return to the majors following his 50-game suspension.

Ramirez played only 5 1/2 innings, going 0-for-3 with a walk, two groundouts and a pop out, but the rest of his Dodger teammates picked up the slack and used a five-run first inning to defeat the Padres, 6-3, in front of a partisan crowd at Petco Park.

"It was great, it was the best," Ramirez said after the game. "The fans in LA drove (to San Diego) to watch me, it was unbelievable."

Ramirez came to bat as the third hitter in the first inning, and the 42,217 partisan fans erupted into a mixture of jeers and applause and stood for the entire plate appearance, which ended in a seven-pitch walk. The 12-time All- Star was suspended on May 7 after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance and was subsequently banished from Major League Baseball until Friday.

Ramirez was lifted in the middle of the sixth for the speedy Juan Pierre, who made sure the Dodgers didn't miss a beat in the absence of their star outfielder. Pierre started all 50 games during the suspension, batting .318 with 14 doubles, 21 runs batted in, 31 runs scored, 15 walks and 20 steals.

"Juan Pierre, he's doing such a great job, and I'm glad he's on my team," Ramirez said.

During the suspension, LA went a respectable 29-21, maintaining their healthy lead atop the NL West standings. Although the record without him was solid in a weak National League, the team moved to 21-7 this season with him in the starting lineup.

"Everyone in the clubhouse is a professional hitter, and they can do a lot of great things without me," Ramirez said. "I'm there just to follow and bring my presence and make everyone feel comforable."

Following the 0-for-3 outing, Ramirez's average dropped to .337 to go along with six homers and 20 RBI so far in 2009.

"I need to play maybe six,(or) seven games and make my legs ready," Ramirez said. "I'm going to move on, and I'm going to be in shape."

Although Ramirez apologized for violating baseball's drug policy, he didn't delve into the details surrounding his suspension, but the 12-time All-Star did say he was sorry to the fans and his teammates.

He was suspended for reportedly taking the banned substance human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a female fertility drug that can also be used as an antidote to reduce testosterone levels at the end of a cycle of steroid treatments.

"I missed the game that I love, I miss being around the guys," said Ramirez, who donned sunglasses for the news conference. "It is what it is, but I'm here, I feel great and I'm ready to play.

"I want to say I'm sorry to the fans, to my teammates that they're always there for me. I want to thank Frank McCourt (Dodgers owner) for his support and I'm here. I'm excited. I can't wait to get onto the field."

Dodgers manager Joe Torre doesn't believe there will be an internal rift from the players with Ramirez returning.

"I think Manny coming on board is certainly going to lessen the load on some of these kids," said Torre. "I don't think it's going to be a chemistry problem. I'd be very surprised if that's going to be the case."