Josh Beckett set to start Wednesday vs. Tigers

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett tested his right ankle during pitchers fielding practice on the mound at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night, and is expected to start the series finale against the Tigers on Wednesday night.

"He did PFPs today, and everything went well. It looks like he's ready to roll," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Unless he does something tonight to his ankle or unless something weird would happen that we don't foresee, then Josh is the guy tomorrow."

Beckett said his ankle felt great, but the decision on when he starts next is out of his hands. The right-hander is currently on the disabled list so a corresponding move would need to be made before Wednesday's game to add Beckett back to the roster. Relief pitcher Jose Dominguez, who has five strikeouts and a home run allowed in 2... innings since getting recalled on Friday, is expected to be optioned back to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Starting Beckett on Wednesday allows the Dodgers to start Hyun-Jin Ryu on Friday in Arizona, after the scheduled off day Thursday. Ryu, who started three of the Dodgers' first six games but allowed eight runs in two innings in the home opener on Friday, will start on six days rest.

Mattingly said after Ryu the Dodgers could shuffle the starting rotation. The team is also off Monday, but then begins a stretch of 13 straight days with a game and 29 games in 30 days.

"We may mess with it a little bit," Mattingly said. "We're not going to do a whole lot, but we'll shuffle it a little bit."

A likely move could be to skip Paul Maholm this weekend, making him available temporarily in relief, then slot him back in the rotation at some point after Monday's off day. That would allow Ryu and Zack Greinke to pitch on extra rest in consecutive starts. In that scenario Dan Haren, starting Tuesday night on extra rest, could go Sunday on regular rest followed by his next start on extra rest, and Beckett would get extra rest his next time out too.

But that will be determined in the next couple of days. Until then, plan on Beckett starting Wednesday and Ryu Friday.