Ted Lilly Out For Season, To Have Shoulder Surgery Friday

The on-again, off-again rehabilitation of Ted Lilly has reached a conclusion for 2012, as the left-hander will have shoulder surgery next Friday, ending his season.

The arthroscopic surgery will be performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttache. Trainer Sue Falsone said the surgery is expected to be minor.

"Ideally it is a simple cleanup procedure. Obviously the doc won't know what he will or will not do until he gets inside the joint, but that's the plan as of now," Falsone said. "We're not expecting any large repairs of any kind."

Falsone said the best-case scenario is for Lilly to begin throwing as early as January, which would put him in line to be ready for the start of spring training.

Lilly's 2012 finishes with a 5-1 record in eight starts, and a 3.14 ERA. He last pitched on May 23. Lilly will make $13.5 million next season in the final year of a three-year, $33 million contract.

Jansen Back Tuesday

Kenley Jansen good good news from his doctor on Friday as he was taken off blood thinners. That clears the way for the reliever to return on Tuesday, when the Dodgers open a 10-game road trip in Washington D.C. against the Nationals.

Jansen had an EKG test on Thursday, and those results came back normal. After Friday, he will no longer have to take blood thinners, taking only aspirin daily until his offseason surgery to repair his irregular heartbeat.

Jansen found sitting out nerve wracking.

"It's hard, it's frustrating. I don't want to think about it anymore. But you have to take care of your health first, and that's what I did," Jansen said. "I just have to get my mind back into that focus, and get ready for Tuesday."

But though manager Don Mattingly called Jansen his closer, he likely won't be in that role in his first game back.

"Brandon (League) has thrown the ball really well. I'll probably feel more comfortable if I get (Jansen) into the game without putting the whole game on him after being out a while," said Mattingly. "I'll get (Jansen) out there one time, then go from there."

Jansen, who last pitched Aug. 27 in Colorado, is just itching to pitch.

"I'm ready. I'm not afraid. I can be in there. But it's not my decision," Jansen said. "If they want to give me the ball in the ninth, I'm ready to do it. I'm built for it. I will fight for it. I will do whatever to help this team, whether it's the seventh, eighth, or ninth."

Notes

• Falsone said that Chad Billingsley has progressed well in clinical tests on his elbow since getting his second platelet-rich plasma injection. He will begin a program of light tossing next weekend in Cinncinnati. "His exam is definitely getting better. He's significantly better than he was," Falsone said.
• Scott Elbert threw a simulated game on the mound at Dodger Stadium (as did Jansen on Friday), and will do so again on Sunday. Mattingly said Elbert would likely be activated on Tuesday.
• Mattingly said it is becoming less and less likely that Javy Guerra, out with a strained left oblique, will be able to return again this season. Guerra last pitched on Sept. 2.
• Clayton Kershaw might miss his start on Sunday with hip pain, the same malady that scratched him from his start last weekend in San Francisco. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com has the details.

Starting Lineups

Mark Ellis gets the night off, with Shane Victorino sliding into the leadoff spot and Nick Punto at second base. Mattingly said that with left-hander Jaime Garcia on the mound on Saturday he would likely have Victorino second and Ethier back to sixth.

Game Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

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