DODGERS NOTEBOOK: EARLY INDICATIONS ON WELLS GOOD.

Byline: RICH HAMMOND 

Staff Writer

David Wells might be remembered as the second coming of either Greg Maddux or James Baldwin.

In-season additions to the starting rotation can go either way.

Last year, Maddux won six of nine decisions and helped the Dodgers to the playoffs. In 2001, Baldwin lost six of nine decisions.

Wells' next chance to make a positive impression will be Friday night, in the opener of the Dodgers' huge three-game series against San Diego. The Padres released Wells on Aug. 9, then the Dodgers picked him up and he pitched five solid innings to beat the New York Mets on Sunday night,

Manager Grady Little decided to have Wells pitch against the Padres, followed by Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley. Rookie No. 5 starter Eric Stults will next pitch Sept. 4 against the Chicago Cubs.

With Wells pitching at age 44, the expectations aren't high, but his combination of baseball savvy and clubhouse influence could provide a positive impact like the one made by Maddux last season.

"It's pretty similar," Little said. "He can come in and give this ballclub a little lift."

Wells went 20 days between starts before his five-inning effort against the Mets. He had a 5.54 ERA with the Padres, so it remains to be seen whether Wells can have continued success without the long rest.

"Three weeks off or five days off, it doesn't matter. Conditioning is not a factor," Little said of Wells, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 248 points. "He's been the same ever since I've known him."

Stults will be available to pitch out of the bullpen today through Saturday.

Not down, not out: A 91-mph fastball couldn't knock down Jeff Kent on Sunday and wouldn't keep him out of the lineup Monday.

Kent, removed from Sunday's game after he was hit on the ear flap by a fastball, didn't arrive at the clubhouse until 5:40 p.m. but declared himself ready to play and took his regular spot at second base.

"That's something you don't mess around with," Little said. "He wanted to go out and run the bases (after being hit) but we didn't want to take a chance with him."

Kent got tested early. Felipe Lopez led off the game with a grounder up the middle but Kent easily ranged to his right and made the play.

Not yet: Nomar Garciaparra, out since Aug. 13 with a strained left calf, is eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday but isn't likely to be ready to return this week.

"He's hitting and he's taking groundballs, but he's still unable to run," Little said.

More changes: Team owner Frank McCourt will announce the next phase of the renovation of Dodger Stadium today. This will be the third set of stadium renovations under McCourt.