Well, the Scott Elbert news proved correct, as the lefty was activated before tonight's game. However, it isn't Blake Hawksworth getting placed on the disabled list. Hong-Chih Kuo is going on the DL, though this tweet from Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times sounds ominous:
Mattingly said he can't say what's wrong with Kuo until the #Dodgers get league approval.
UPDATE (3:50 p.m.): The Dodgers said Kuo has an "anxiety disorder," per Hernandez.
The Dodgers go for their second straight win, hoping some of last night's offensive cup runneth over into tonight. Hiroki Kuroda gets the start for the Dodgers, facing Paul Maholm of the Pirates.
Lineups
James Loney gets the night off against the left-handed Maholm, and Russ Mitchell makes his first start of the season. Xavier Paul gets his first start of the series tonight, batting second and playing left field.
Neil Walker was a late scratch with flu-like symptoms. Brandon Wood starts in his place, at shortstop, with Ronny Cedeno moving to second base.
| Dodgers | Pirates | |||
| SS | Carroll | CF | McCutchen | |
| 2B | DeJesus | LF | Paul | |
| RF | Ethier | RF | Jones | |
| CF | Kemp | 1B | Overbay | |
| 3B | Uribe | C | Snyder | |
| C | Barajas | 3B | Alvarez | |
| LF | Sands | SS | Wood |
|
| 1B | Mitchell |
2B | Cedeno | |
| P | Kuroda | P | Maholm | |
Notes
- John Perrotto at Baseball Prospectus analyzed the Dodgers slow start that has been overshadowed by the ownership mess. "The pitching hasn't been appreciably better, as the Dodgers also rank 13th in the NL in runs allowed, giving up 4.53 a game. It says something about how poorly his team is hitting that Mattingly believes pitching has been his club's strength," Perrotto said.
- Eno Sarris opines on Ted Lilly for Bloomberg Sports. The article is written from the perspective of fantasy baseball, but the worrisome conclusion is that Lilly's declining fastball velocity could prove a problem for the Dodgers going forward, not exactly the most encouraging prognosis for someone in the second month of a three-year deal.
- Before tonight's game, the Pirates placed reliever Mike Crotta on the 15-day DL, and recalled right-handed reliever Jose Ascanio, who hasn't pitched in the majors since August 2009, having missed over a year after shoulder surgery. Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com has more details.
Game Time: 4:05 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket