LOS ANGELES — Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton, out since May with a bruised elbow, will have arthroscopic surgery Monday to reduce a spur on his right elbow and remove loose chips.

Dodgers trainer Stan Conte says the procedure is a minor cleanup that will allow Broxton to head into his offseason throwing program without impediment.

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CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled right-hander John Ely and infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr., both from Triple-A Albuquerque, before Saturday’s game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

They will take the roster spots of pitcher Jon Garland and shortstop Rafael Furcal, both of whom were placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right-shoulder inflammation and a left-oblique strain, respectively.

Ely was called up earlier this season, but made just one start, on April 10 at San Diego, before being sent back down. He is 2-3 with a 5.01 ERA in 10 starts for the Isotopes this season. His callup, which was necessitated by veteran Vicente Padilla not being ready to come off the DL because of pain in his neck, leaves the Dodgers with only one pitcher on their 40-man roster who isn’t either in the majors or on the major or minor league disabled list. That pitcher, Luis Vasquez, has never pitched above Class A.

DeJesus’ callup, his third of the season, figures to be a short one. Veteran infielder Juan Uribe becomes eligible to come off the DL on Sunday, although club officials weren’t planning on activating him until Monday before Furcal suffered his latest injury in the bottom of the second inning of Friday night’s game with the Reds.

DeJesus is hitting .268 for the Isotopes, but has batted just .194 (6-for-31) with no extra-base hits, during his two big league stints.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Follow Tony Jackson on Twitter: @dodgerscribe

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Read More: Vicente Padilla (P – LOS), Jon Garland (P – LOS), Jamey Carroll (2B – LOS), Rafael Furcal (SS – LOS), Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds, Jun 3, 2011 4:10 PM PDT

The 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers are getting hurt at an alarming rate. Rafael Furcal is the latest to get bitten by the injury bug, as he left Friday’s game after just two innings. Furcal injured his left side while making a force play in the bottom of the second inning, then was replaced in the top of the third inning by pinch hitter Jamey Carroll, who remained in the game at shortstop. The Dodgers list Furcal as day-to-day, though the club is no stranger to the disabled list this season.

Furcal already lost significant time this season, missing 37 games with a broken thumb. Since his return, Furcal has nine hits in 40 at-bats in 10 games, though eight of those hits came in the four games prior to tonight. Furcal isn’t the only injury the Dodgers are dealing with.

Vicente Padilla was supposed to be activated off the disabled list before tonight’s game, but no move was made before the game. The corresponding move is expected to be starter Jon garland to the disabled list, which would be the 17th different DL trip for the Dodgers this season. However, either Padilla isn’t quite ready or the Dodgers aren’t sure Garland will miss two or three starts. Or we could see a move after the game.

The Dodgers lead the Reds 1-0 in the fifth inning at Great American Ballpark.

For more news and information about the Dodgers, or on tonight’s game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.

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CINCINNATI — Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Jon Garland, who hadn’t been on the disabled list in 11 years until this spring, is expected to be placed there for the second time this season with a right-shoulder injury, the severity of which isn’t immediately known, according to two sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The move clears a roster spot for right-hander Vicente Padilla, who is expected to be activated from his second DL stint of the season. He was put there on May 19 with irritation of his right radial nerve.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly acknowledged that the move is coming, but said it wouldn’t officially be made until just before the start of Friday night’s game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park so as to make sure that Padilla is fully ready to return.

Meanwhile, Mattingly said rookie right-hander Rubby De La Rosa will take Garland’s spot in the starting rotation for now, meaning he will get the ball on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. De La Rosa was the organization’s top pitching prospect when he was recalled from Double-A Chattanooga on May 24 and has since allowed a run on three hits over five innings during three relief appearances.

De La Rosa was a starter for the Lookouts, but he had been limited to 3 2/3 and two innings in his final two starts before the call-up as part of a standard program the Dodgers use with their top pitching prospects to limit their innings in hopes of preventing injuries. De La Rosa’s last start of any length was a seven-inning effort for the Lookouts on May 10, but Mattingly said he doesn’t expect De La Rosa to be on any pitch-count limit in Philadelphia.

As for Garland, Mattingly said he has experienced pain in his shoulder during each of his past two starts, even though Garland has pitched reasonably well in those, giving up a total of four runs and 10 hits over 12 1/3 innings.

Garland isn’t with the team on its current trip. There is no timetable for his return.

“It’ll be based on how he recovers,” Mattingly said.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Follow Tony Jackson on Twitter: @dodgerscribe

What do you guys think about this.

LOS ANGELES —
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Three games, three wins and 23 runs from a Dodgers’ offense that is finally catching up to the performance of the pitching staff.

Matt Kemp homered and drove in four runs, Casey Blake added a three-run shot and Los Angeles beat the Colorado Rockies 8-2 on Tuesday night.

The Dodgers clinched consecutive series wins for just the second time this season while tying their longest winning streak at three games.

“Over the last few days we’re starting to put some runs on the board,” first-year manager Don Mattingly said. “If we can do that consistently, we’re going to be tough.”

Too often this season, the Dodgers’ offense has provided meager run support for the pitching staff. In their last three games, though, the Dodgers have scored nearly as many runs (23) as they did in their previous eight games (24).

“I don’t think this is necessarily a hot streak,” winning pitcher Ted Lilly said. “We’re pretty good. We’re going to do some damage as the season goes on.”

Lilly (4-4) allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings, struck out a season-high eight and walked none for the first time this season. It was the left-hander’s first win since May 10 at Pittsburgh.

“I was getting fastballs over early for strikes,” said Lilly, who was caught by backup Dioner Navarro. “Navy has an innate feel for what I’m trying to do. As a staff, we’re pretty strong. We went into the season expecting to keep our club in a lot of games. I don’t think there was much talk about our offense, but I thought there were guys who could do some damage.”

Kemp gave Los Angeles the lead for good in the first inning with a two-run homer, his 13th. He sent a 2-1 pitch from Mortensen into the mostly empty right field pavilion.

The Dodgers extended their lead to 4-1 on Kemp’s two-run single in the third, and Aaron Miles’ RBI double made it 5-1 in the fourth.

Blake homered off Matt Daley in the seventh, making it 8-2.

“That first breakout game we had, we scored a bunch. That was a big confidence booster for us,” said Blake, who came off the disabled list last Friday. “We needed something like that. There’s been a lot of frustration the last month.”

The Rockies certainly know the that feeling, having scored just six runs in their last three losses.

“We haven’t been able to put a finger on it, but it’s not from a lack of work or for a lack of effort,” Todd Helton said about the lack of hitting. “Guys are working at it, trying hard, but everything’s just not clicking for us right now. But we’ll find it. We just have to know deep down that we’re going to find a way to overcome this.”

Clayton Mortensen (1-3) gave up five runs and five hits in four innings, walked four and failed to record a strikeout for the first time this season while losing his third start in a row.

“I don’t think we feel any added pressure, to be honest. We’re just trying to go out and do our part and just try and keep us in games,” he said. “I didn’t do a very good job of that. They’re going to swing it. We’ve been swinging it lately. We just haven’t gotten the timely ones.”

Colorado’s Chris Nelson doubled in the third and scored on Mortensen’s sacrifice fly to second baseman Miles in short right field. The second run came in the seventh on Ty Wigginton’s second homer in two nights.

Notes: Dodgers RHP Vicente Padilla, on the DL with right radial nerve inflammation, didn’t allow a baserunner in two scoreless innings for Class A-Rancho Cucamonga and could be activated Friday at Cincinnati, barring a setback. … Dodgers OF Marcus Thames, on the DL with a right quad strain, played six innings in the field and went 0 for 2 with a strikeout and two walks at Triple-A Albuquerque. … The Dodgers improved to .500 at home. … It was Colorado’s sixth straight road loss against an NL West opponent. … Wigginton extended his hitting streak to eight games, with an RBI in four of his last five games.

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By Tim Dierkes [May 24, 2011 at 8:31am CST]

The Dodgers are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series.  Here’s what the team faces after the 2011 season:

Eligible For Free Agency (11)

• Starter Hiroki Kuroda, 36, is rolling along with another strong season.  I’m guessing the Dodgers will have another shot to sign him to a one-year deal after the season, as Kuroda has a full no-trade clause.
• Jonathan Broxton lost the closer job again this season, and he’s currently on the DL with an elbow injury.  At one point he seemed destined for a monster free agent contract, but instead he might want a one-year deal to rebuild value.
• Rod Barajas leads all NL catchers with seven home runs, though it doesn’t get much worse than a .260 OBP.  The Dodgers may give some thought to re-signing him on a one-year deal.
• Jamey Carroll has been quite valuable filling in for Rafael Furcal; his .374 OBP leads all MLB shortstops.  Carroll should top his last two-year deal and ought to seek a team that will play him every day.  Before then, he could be popular at the trade deadline.
• Vicente Padilla had the Dodgers’ closer role for a short period of time, but then landed on the DL with more forearm concerns.  We’ll have to see how the rest of his season goes before assessing his value.
• Lance Cormier has been terrible, and might not make it to the end of the season with the Dodgers.
• Dioner Navarro missed most of April with an oblique injury and hasn’t done anything yet.
• Marcus Thames hasn’t played much this year due to a quad injury.  Vision problems have sidelined Jay Gibbons.
• Mike MacDougal is doing his usual tightrope act, but the beleaguered Dodgers bullpen needs him right now.
• Aaron Miles is also eligible for free agency.  The Dodgers could see quite a bit of turnover next year.

Contract Options (3)

• Rafael Furcal: $12MM club option with a $1.3MM buyout.  Furcal’s latest Dodgers contract has been a frustrating one due to injuries.  I can’t picture the Dodgers exercising this, and I can envision them moving him this summer depending on what his no-trade clause allows.
• Casey Blake: $6MM club option with a $1.25MM buyout.  Blake is finishing up rehab for an elbow injury.  He was hitting well before that in a small sample.
• Jon Garland: $8MM club option with a $500K buyout; vests with 190 IP.  At his current pace, another 22 or 23 starts would not be enough for Garland to reach 190 innings.  It’d be the first time he’s failed to do so since he was a reliever a decade ago.  I don’t picture the Dodgers exercising at a $7.5MM net price.

Arbitration Eligible (7)

The Dodgers have an interesting arbitration group.  Kershaw should top Jered Weaver‘s first-time record for a starting pitcher, though David Price may beat Kershaw and in a way the record is technically and should remain the Giants’ $8MM filing for Tim Lincecum last year.  Kemp and Ethier both kept their final arbitration years open, and now it’s time to get paid.  Ethier is operating from a higher salary point, but each player should be able to exceed $12MM.  Targets for their agents may include Mark Teixeira‘s $12.5MM in ’08 or even Prince Fielder‘s $15.5MM this year. 

Loney probably should have been non-tendered or dealt last offseason; he’s highly unlikely to be tendered a contract this time.  Kuo, on the DL with anxiety disorder, is an unknown.  Troncoso and Gwynn could be cut, though they wouldn’t cost much to retain.  For my rough estimate I’ll put Kershaw at $6MM and Kemp and Ethier at $13MM each, plus Kuo at $3MM for a total of $35MM.

2012 Payroll Obligation

The Dodgers’ 2012 payroll obligation, according to Cot’s, is $48MM if you include all three buyouts on the options.  Our arbitration estimate puts them at $83MM, a solid $37MM short of this year’s payroll without considering minimum salary players.  The big question, of course, is the team’s ownership situation.  If by November Bud Selig successfully removes Frank McCourt from the picture entirely and installs a new owner, the Dodgers figure to be major players in free agency.  If not, I have to think payroll would be cut.  In that case GM Ned Colletti would still have some spending money, just not for the big names.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Andre Ethier got back on track with a two-run homer, Clayton Kershaw struck out eight and the struggling Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 4-2 on Sunday to snap a four-game losing streak.

Ethier also singled after going 0 for 4 on Saturday night to end his 30-game hitting streak. He wound up one game shy of Willie Davis’ club record set in 1969.

Kershaw (4-3) was rarely in trouble while beating the Mets for the third straight time. The left-hander gave up one run on six hits and three walks in 6 2-3 innings to give the Dodgers a much-needed lift after they had lost six of their previous seven.

Vicente Padilla gave up an RBI triple to Jose Reyes in the ninth before finishing for his fourth career save and second of the season. Padilla is closing games while Jonathan Broxton is sidelined with an ailing right elbow.

R.A. Dickey (1-4) kept New York in the game with his baffling knuckleball, allowing only one unearned run before Ethier’s two-run shot in the seventh inning. That doomed Dickey to his fourth loss in six starts since beating Florida in his season debut on April 3.

New York jumped ahead in the first inning when Kershaw issued a pair of walks and Ronny Paulino’s two-out base hit brought home Justin Turner, but the lead didn’t last long.

The Dodgers tied it in the third when Kershaw was hit by a pitch on the foot, then slid into second base on a passed ball. He advanced to third on a groundout before scoring on a base hit by Aaron Miles through the right side of the infield.

Los Angeles pulled ahead in the fourth on an RBI grounder by Rod Barajas.

The Dodgers wasted a chance in the fifth, when Jamey Carroll led off with a grounder to first base. Ike Davis fielded the bouncing ball but his toss forced Dickey to sky high to snare the throw, and he was unable to slap on the tag while covering the bag.

Miles and Ethier followed with singles to load the bases with none out, but Matt Kemp chopped into a 1-2-3 double play and Juan Uribe grounded out to end the inning.

Uribe ended up going 0 for 4 and was hitless in 14 at-bats for the series, and Los Angeles went 0 for 5 with the bases loaded the final two games against New York.

The Dodgers also ended up stranding seven on base Sunday, and 32 for the three-game set, though it didn’t hurt them in the finale — even if it did get tense in the seventh inning.

There were already runners on the corners with two outs when manager Don Mattingly opted to lift Kershaw for a righty-righty matchup. Kenley Jansen promptly walked David Wright to load the bases, but escaped the jam when he got Jason Bay to line out to left field.

The Mets, who stranded 10 in the game, went down with a whimper the rest of the way.

NOTES: Kershaw beat Dickey the last time he faced the Mets, 1-0 last July 25. … Mike O’Connor pitched two perfect innings of relief for New York. … The Mets put RHP Chris Young (shoulder tightness) on the DL and selected the contract of LHP Pat Misch from Triple-A Buffalo before the game. … Fitness celebrity Jillian Michaels was on hand for the game.

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LOS ANGELES, May 3 (UPI) — Clayton Kershaw tossed seven solid innings and Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak Monday in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Kershaw (3-3) held the Cubs to two runs on eight hits over seven innings, issuing no walks and striking out four as the Dodgers beat the Cubs for the 10th time in 13 home games.

Vicente Padilla hurled a scoreless eighth and Jonathan Broxton earned his seventh save with a 1-2-3 ninth for Los Angeles, which won the first of a three-game series against Chicago.

The Dodgers took the lead on second-inning RBI from Juan Uribe and Ivan De Jesus. Jerry Sands added a two-run double, went to third on Marlon Byrd’s error and came home on Ethier’s single in the fifth.

Ethier extended his hitting streak to 28 games, moving him to within three of the franchise record set by Willie Davis in 1969.

James Russell (1-4) was roughed up for five runs (four earned) on six hits in 4 2/3 innings for the Cubs, who lost for the fourth time in six games.

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CHICAGO — As expected, the Los Angeles Dodgers activated veteran right-hander Vicente Padilla from the 15-day disabled list for the first time this season before Friday’s game with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Padilla, who had been sidelined since undergoing surgery in February to free a nerve trapped under a muscle in his right forearm, made two rehabilitation appearances this week at Class A Rancho Cucamonga.

Because the Dodgers have five established starters and because Padilla’s injury prevented him from building up innings in spring training, he will be going to the bullpen on a full-time basis for the first time since 2001, when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies. Since then, Padilla has made just one relief appearance, pitching two shutout innings for the Dodgers on Sept. 30, 2009, at San Diego.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said there are no restrictions on Padilla, other than that he would prefer to use Padilla to begin an inning.

Mattingly also said that because Padilla has been a starter for the past nine seasons, there will be some trial and error as Padilla figures out how quickly he can get adequately warmed up in the bullpen before entering a game.

Padilla went 6-5 with a 4.07 ERA in 16 starts for the Dodgers last season, missing almost two months early in the season with the forearm injury that eventually led to surgery two months ago. He also missed two weeks late in the season with a bulging disk in his neck.

To clear a roster spot for Padilla, the Dodgers optioned reliever Ramon Troncoso to Triple-A Albuquerque immediately after Thursday’s 12-inning win over the Atlanta Braves.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Follow Tony Jackson on Twitter: @dodgerscribe

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Read More: Lance Cormier (P – LOS), Scott Elbert (P – LOS), Los Angeles Dodgers

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Mar 27, 2011 - Opening day rosters don’t need to be finalized until Thursday, but the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 25-man roster is pretty much set. The Dodgers will open with four players on the disabled list — catcher Dioner Navarro (strained oblique), third baseman Casey Blake (back injury), and pitchers Jon Garland (oblique strain) and Vicente Padilla (arm surgery) — though all four are expected back at various points in April.

The Dodgers have two off days in the first week of the season, and they won’t use a fifth starter. Tim Redding appears to have beaten John Ely for the fifth starter spot, as manager Don Mattingly said he was lining up Redding to start April 10, the final game of a three-game series in San Diego against the Padres. However, Redding will begin the season in the minor leagues before having his contract purchased for that start on April 10.

As for the opening day roster, the final bullpen spot looks like it’s between Scott Elbert and non-roster invitee Lance Cormier, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

Meanwhile, the final bullpen spot will apparently go to left-hander Scott Elbert, with one caveat. Lance Cormier, the only other contender after Ramon Troncoso was optioned to Minor League camp Sunday morning, was asked to accept a Minor League assignment, but he said he told the club he would not.

Cormier has an out in his contract starting Sunday, but he said he was not yet a free agent and that “the ball is in their court.”

On Friday, True Blue LA took a guess at the opening day roster, and it appears that, barring a setback, this will be the final 25 on Thursday night as the Dodgers open at home against the San Francisco Giants:

• Starting Pitchers (4): Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda
• Relief Pitchers (7): Jonathan Broxton, Hong-Chih Kuo, Matt Guerrier, Kenley Jansen, Blake Hawksworth, Scott Elbert, Mike MacDougal*
• Catchers (2): Rod Barajas, Hector Gimenez
• Infielders (6): James Loney, Jamey Carroll, Rafael Furcal, Juan Uribe, Aaron Miles*, Ivan DeJesus
• Outfielders (6): Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Marcus Thames, Jay Gibbons, Tony Gwynn Jr., Xavier Paul

*Non-roster invitees

DeJesus will stay around, primarily playing second base, until Blake is activated from the disabled list. Uribe will open the season at third base, and move to second once Blake returns. The Dodgers will have to make another roster move on April 10 to accommodate either Redding or Ely to start.

As of the end of their game on Sunday, the Dodgers still technically have 36 players in big league camp, so several cuts will be made over the next few days.

For more Dodgers news and information, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dioner Navarro was scratched from the starting lineup for Thursday’s Cactus League game against the Colorado Rockies and sent for an MRI exam after feeling pain in his right side taking a swing during a morning session of batting practice.

“That is the first time in my career [to feel something in my side],” Navarro said. “I can’t tell you how bad it is. It doesn’t seem to be that bad, but we’ll see how it responds tomorrow. As soon as I felt it, I shut it down. I didn’t want to aggravate anything in there.”

Results of the MRI aren’t expected until Friday. But with the season opener now just a week away, Navarro’s injury at least raises the possibility that he could become the fourth Dodgers player expected to begin the season on the disabled list, where he would join pitchers Vicente Padilla and Jon Garland and third baseman Casey Blake.

The former American League All-Star signed a one-year, $1 million contract this winter to be the Dodgers backup catcher.

If Navarro misses Opening Day, he likely would be replaced on the roster by either Hector Gimenez, a minor league free agent the Dodgers signed over the winter and added to the 40-man roster and who is having a solid spring, or A.J. Ellis, a longtime Dodgers prospect who played in 44 games for the major league club last year.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly happened to be watching Navarro take batting practice when the injury happened.

“He took one swing and hit a line drive, and I could see him going kind of like this,” Mattingly said, rubbing his right abdomen. “I said, ‘What happened, did you [hurt] that side?’ He was like, ‘Yeah.’ I talked to him before he went for the MRI, and he said, ‘I listened to you, and I didn’t stay in there.’ We have been trying to get these guys, if they feel something, even a little thing, to let somebody know.”

Navarro, 27, became the Dodgers’ primary catcher midway through the 2005 season and held that job until early in 2006, when an injury opened the door for highly touted catching prospect Russell Martin. The Dodgers traded Navarro to Tampa Bay in a five-player deal on June 27, 2006, and he became an All-Star as the Rays’ primary catcher in 2008.

But Navarro lost his job in Tampa Bay last year and wound up spending a significant part of the season at Triple-A Durham. After he hit .194 in the majors, the Rays non-tendered him this winter. The Dodgers, who themselves non-tendered Martin, re-signed veteran Rod Barajas to be their primary catcher, then brought Navarro back in December to be Barajas’ backup.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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Mar. 9, 2011 09:37 PM
Associated Press

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Jon Garland left Wednesday’s Cactus League game with two outs in the top of the second inning because of a left-oblique injury. There was no immediate diagnosis, but Garland said he would meet with a team doctor either later in the day or early Thursday morning.

Garland said no actual tests have been scheduled, but that, “I’m sure they are going to want to do that.”

Garland, whom the Dodgers signed in November to a one-year, $5 million contract with an $8 million club option for 2012 to be their fifth starter, was making just his second start of the spring. After throwing the first pitch to Seattle Mariners shortstop Josh Wilson, his 30th pitch of the game, Garland knelt down on the front of the mound, stood back up and immediately made a gesture toward the dugout to summon trainer Stan Conte.

Garland then walked around the mound for a minute or two while clutching his left side before ultimately walking off the field with Conte.

About an hour after the injury, having showered and dressed, Garland said he no longer felt any pain in the muscle.

“Standing here doing nothing, it feels fine,” he said. “But if I tried to throw a baseball, I don’t know [how it would feel].”

Garland said he has no history of oblique injuries.

The Dodgers already have lost Vicente Padilla, the man who would have stepped in to their starting rotation if one of their five starters was injured, until late April or early May because of elbow surgery.

With Padilla out, the most likely candidate to step into the fifth spot if Garland is lost for a long period of time would be either John Ely, who made 18 starts for the Dodgers as a rookie last year and went 4-10 with a 5.49 ERA, or Tim Redding, a non-roster veteran who last pitched in the majors for the New York Mets in 2009.

Other than the five projected starters, Ely and Redding are the only pitchers in camp who have been on starters programs this spring, and neither has allowed a run. Ely has pitched six scoreless innings over three appearances, while Redding has pitched eight over three.

Garland, 31, is an 11-year veteran and hasn’t been on the disabled list since 2000, when he was a rookie with the Chicago White Sox.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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Read More: Vicente Padilla (P – LOS), Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost both games today to open their spring schedule, one to the Angels and another to the Giants, but it’s hard to take such losses hard during spring training. If those losses were bad news, the Dodgers did get some good news, in that Vicente Padilla appears anxious to get back on the mound after undergoing elbow surgery on Thursday. Padilla arrived back in Arizona Friday night, and was in camp today, outlining his comeback plan, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

In a best-case scenario, Padilla will need three to four weeks before he resumes throwing, then would need the month of April to essentially go through Spring Training and rebuild arm strength with bullpen sessions and a Minor League rehab assignment.

Because he is being viewed as a reliever, Padilla’s rehab will be shorter than that of a starting pitcher.

If Padilla can start throwing by the end of March, the idea is for him to get back to the Dodgers by the beginning of May, which seems remarkable given that initial fears were that Padilla would be out for as much as half the season if not the entire season. Padilla missed two months last season with an irritated ulnar nerve in his elbow, a similar injury, but he said the pain felt last week wasn’t as bad as last year, which is a good sign.

The Dodgers face the Angels again on Sunday, but this time the Dodgers are the host, at Camelback Ranch in Glendale. John Ely will start for the Dodgers, and be followed on the mound by Blake Hawksworth, Mike MacDougal, Ramon Troncoso, Kenley Jansen, and Jon Link. Scott Kazmir will start for the Angels. The game will be televised on Prime Ticket and MLB Network.

For more information on Vicente Padilla, be sure to read True Blue LA

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla underwent surgery Thursday in Los Angeles to free a radial nerve entrapped by a muscle deep in his right forearm and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla underwent surgery Thursday in Los Angeles to free a radial nerve entrapped by a muscle deep in his right forearm and will be sidelined indefinitely.

According to the Dodgers’ web site, the veteran right-hander could be throwing in three-to-four weeks.

Padilla had an MRI exam on Tuesday after experiencing pain during a Sunday bullpen session. It’s the same nerve problem that forced the right-hander to miss two months in 2010.

Padilla, Los Angeles’ Opening Day starter a year ago, signed a one-year incentive-laden deal with the Dodgers this past winter after going 6-5 with a 4.07 earned run average in 16 starts for them a year ago. He also missed time with a bulging disk in his neck last season.

Los Angeles had planned to have the 33-year-old hurler pitch primarily out of the bullpen and also use him as a swing man in the event that a starter was injured. There was also a chance he could step into the closer’s role should Jonathan Broxton struggle.

For his career, Padilla is 104-90 with a 4.31 ERA in 321 games (237 starts) for the Diamondbacks, Phillies, Rangers and Dodgers.

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