LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has paid his major league bills – for now.

Despite baseball officials who believed he didn’t have enough money to cover the team’s end-of-the-month payroll, the embattled McCourt was able to cover Dodgers-related expenses Tuesday, said a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.

If McCourt wasn’t able to meet payroll — a question that lingers for the remainder of the season — Major League Baseball would have taken control and paid the team’s bills.

Based on an opening-day payroll of $103.8 million, the Dodgers’ payroll for its major-league roster in the second half of May was about $8.25 million. The figure includes 16 days’ salary, but not any signing bonus payments that happen to fall due.

ESPN first reported that McCourt was able to make the payroll.

The Los Angeles Times, citing anonymous sources, reported last week that McCourt needed roughly $9.8 million to meet Tuesday’s payroll. His financial woes will increase in June because the Dodgers owe Manny Ramirez more than $6 million in deferred compensation, the paper said.

McCourt took a $30 million loan from Fox, the Dodgers’ television partner, prior to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig’s decision to appoint a monitor, former Texas Rangers President Tom Schieffer, to oversee the team’s daily operations and to examine its records.

The ability to make payroll gives McCourt more time to reach a settlement with his ex-wife and former team CEO Jamie McCourt. The McCourts are embroiled in a nasty divorce where she recently asked Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon to order the sale of the team.

Gordon has ruled that a postnuptial marital agreement signed by the former couple, which gave Frank McCourt sole ownership of the Dodgers, was invalid and cleared the way for Jamie McCourt to seek half the team under California’s community property law.

Settlement talks are set to resume June 8.

McCourt has urged Selig to approve a 17-year contract with Fox that could be worth more than $3 billion, which would include a front-loaded payment of about $300 million.

Updated May 31, 2011 6:51 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (AP)

Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has paid his major league bills — for now.

Despite baseball officials who believed he didn’t have enough money to cover the team’s end-of-the-month payroll, the embattled McCourt was able to cover Dodgers-related expenses Tuesday, said a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.

If McCourt wasn’t able to meet payroll — a question that lingers for the remainder of the season — Major League Baseball would have taken control and paid the team’s bills.

Based on an opening-day payroll of $103.8 million, the Dodgers’ payroll for its major league roster in the second half of May was about $8.25 million. The figure includes 16 days’ salary, but not any signing bonus payments that happen to fall due.

The Los Angeles Times first reported that McCourt was able to make the payroll.

The Times, citing anonymous sources, reported last week that McCourt needed roughly $9.8 million to meet Tuesday’s payroll. His financial woes will increase in June because the Dodgers owe Manny Ramirez more than $6 million in deferred compensation, the paper said.

McCourt took a $30 million loan from Fox, the Dodgers’ television partner, prior to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig’s decision to appoint a monitor, former Texas Rangers President Tom Schieffer, to oversee the team’s daily operations and to examine its records.

The ability to make payroll gives McCourt more time to reach a settlement with his ex-wife and former team CEO Jamie McCourt. The McCourts are embroiled in a nasty divorce where she recently asked Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon to order the sale of the team.

Gordon has ruled that a postnuptial marital agreement signed by the former couple, which gave Frank McCourt sole ownership of the Dodgers, was invalid and cleared the way for Jamie McCourt to seek half the team under California’s community property law.

Settlement talks are set to resume June 8.

McCourt has urged Selig to approve a 17-year contract with Fox that could be worth more than $3 billion, which would include a front-loaded payment of about $300 million.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has paid his
major league bills—for now.

A person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity because he
wasn’t authorized to speak publicly said McCourt was able to make payroll
Tuesday. Baseball officials previously said they didn’t believe McCourt had
enough money to cover the team’s end of the month payroll.

McCourt took a $30 million loan from Fox, the Dodgers’ television partner,
prior to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig’s decision to appoint a
monitor to oversee the team’s daily operations.

The ability to make payroll gives McCourt more time to possibly reach a
settlement with his ex-wife and former team CEO Jamie McCourt. The McCourts are
embroiled in a nasty divorce where she recently asked a judge to order the sale
of the team.

  LOS ANGELES  — James Loney had three hits with a homer and
three RBIs, Andre Ethier also drove in three runs and the Los
Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-1 on Monday
night.

 Chad Billingsley (4-4) allowed one run and a season-high 11 hits
in seven innings, struck out eight and walked two. The right-hander
improved to 2-2 in his sixth home start after his teammates
produced the kind of run support that he had been lacking, getting
just 1.29 runs — third-lowest in the majors — in his previous home
games.

 Ty Wigginton’s homer accounted for Colorado’s run as the Rockies
dropped to 2-10 on the road in May.

 Jason Hammel (3-5) gave up seven runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3
innings, struck out two and walked one in his shortest outing of
the season. The right-hander is winless since April 30 against
Pittsburgh, a span of six starts.

 The Dodgers took a 4-0 lead in the third. They loaded the bases
with no one out on singles by Billingsley and Rafael Furcal and an
infield hit by Jamey Carroll. Ethier drove in Billingsley and
Furcal with a single up the middle, just beyond the reach of diving
second baseman Eric Young Jr. as Hammel took off his glove and
pounded it on the mound in frustration.

 Matt Kemp followed with a sacrifice fly to center, with center
fielder Dexter Fowler and left fielder Carlos Gonzalez converging
on it. The ball touched Gonzalez’s glove first and then they
collided as the ball dropped, allowing Carroll to score. Loney
added an RBI single.

 The Rockies scored in the fourth on Wigginton’s fourth homer of
the season off the first pitch from Billingsley.

 The Dodgers extended their lead to 7-1 in the fifth. Carroll led
off with a triple and Ethier had an RBI single. Loney hit a
two-out, two-run homer off the first pitch from Hammel, who then
walked Rod Barajas before getting yanked.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

LOS ANGELES, May 30 (UPI) — Chad Billingsley surrendered 11 hits but only one run over seven innings Monday, sparking the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-1 win over Colorado.

Billingsley (4-4) benefited from three double plays turned by his infielders while walking two and striking out eight as the Dodgers began a three-game series against Colorado with a victory.

James Loney cracked a two-run fifth-inning homer and added an RBI single during a four-run third inning as Los Angeles built an early lead that held up the rest of the way.

Andre Ethier drove in three runs with a pair of singles while Jamey Carroll added two hits and two runs scored in the win.

Jason Hammel (3-5) was roughed up for seven runs on 10 hits in a 4 2/3-inning start for the Rockies, who went down for the ninth time in 11 games.