DODGERS NOTEBOOK: FETTERS PLACED ON DL.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

The Dodgers' revolving door to the disabled list continued to turn Sunday. They got one pitcher back from a nearly month-long stint on the DL but lost another because of neck problems.

Reliever Mike Fetters was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 20 and Kevin Brown was activated before the game Sunday against San Diego.

Fetters last pitched Wednesday and has experienced stiffness in his neck and shoulder since June 15. The decision to put him on the disabled list was made when the stiffness persisted during a bullpen session Sunday. He plans to remain in Los Angeles to receive treatment while the Dodgers go on the road this week.

``It's not fair to the bullpen for me to sit out there as a dead weight,'' Fetters said.

The move marks the 14th time this season the Dodgers have put a player on the disabled list.

``It gets to the point where it grates on you a little bit,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``These are people you've been talking about since April 2. You know what they're capable of if only you could get them healthy. ...

``You certainly would like to get to some point in the season where you see some semblance of health.''

--Yet another injury: Shortstop Alex Cora left the game Sunday with two out in the top half of the sixth inning after experiencing numbness in his right hand as a result of being hit on the elbow by a pitch in the previous inning. X-rays were negative.

--Fingering the problem: Luke Prokopec had to leave Saturday earlier than hoped because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, but he said the injury might have been a blessing in disguise.

With the blister bothering him since the fourth inning, he relied on just two pitches in his final innings and produced one of his most effective outings in weeks, allowing just one baserunner in his last three innings.

``It took a blister to really help me find what I'd been missing,'' Prokopec said. ``It's interesting what you can do when you only throw a fastball and changeup instead of fastball, curves, slider and change.''

Prokopec (6-4) expects to be ready for his next scheduled start.

He believes the blister was a result of cutting his fingernail back further than usual. The nail had split in his previous start and was cut to prevent additional splitting.

The right-hander left after the blister popped on the first pitch he threw warming up for the eighth inning.

``She was pretty nasty,'' said Prokopec, who also was bothered by a split fingernail last season in the minor leagues. ``We super glued it up and then she burst. ... I really couldn't do too much more or my whole finger was going to fall off.''

--Odds and ends: First baseman Eric Karros was out of the lineup for a second day in a row because of stiffness in his back. ... Chad Kreuter's walk in the fifth inning made it 16 consecutive games in which he reached base on a hit or walk. He has 18 walks during the span. ... Paul Lo Duca went 0 for 4 to have his career-high streak of consecutive games with a hit end at 10.

DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO

Time: 7:15 p.m., at Pac Bell Park.

TV/Radio: Ch. 5; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: Chan Ho Park (8-4, 2.80 ERA) will try to help the Dodgers gain ground on the second-place Giants when he starts in the first game of a seven-game road trip. The right-hander split his previous two starts this season against San Francisco and is coming off a no-decision against Arizona in which he allowed three runs on three hits in seven innings. Mark Gardner (3-5, 5.68) is scheduled to start for the Giants.

- Heather Gripp

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DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO (see text)