Ted Lilly receives injection in rib cage, shut down for 2 days

Dodgers starting pitcher Ted Lilly was examined by team physician Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles on Tuesday and received MRI exams on both his neck and right rib cage. He received a cortisone injection into his rib cage and will be shut down for two days, putting his scheduled Saturday start in jeopardy.

The Dodgers said Lilly will be reevaluated again on Thursday to determine the next course of action. If he is unable to start on Saturday against the Giants in San Francisco, it is likely that start will go to Matt Magill, who made his major league debut on Saturday against the Brewers.

Lilly allowed five runs on eight hits, including two home runs, in just three innings on Monday in a 12-2 loss to the Rockies. Lilly experienced tightness in his back after his first start in New York, but didn't tell the team, thinking it would go away before Monday, but it did not.

"I think I have a few things to be concerned about. The back being one of them, and just ineffectiveness," Lilly said on Monday night. "There are a lot of guys in this clubhouse not feeling as good as they'd like to, but you still expect to get the results you're looking for."