DODGERS NOTEBOOK: HENDRICKSON SENT TO BULLPEN.Byline: TONY JACKSON
Anthony (Antonio) Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson Staff Writer NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of -- Although he has yet to name a starting pitcher Noun 1. starting pitcher - (baseball) a pitcher who starts in a baseball game baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; for Sunday, Dodgers manager Grady Little William Grady Little (born March 30, 1950 in Abilene, Texas) is a manager in Major League Baseball. He guided the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2003, and has been manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2006. broke the news to Mark Hendrickson Mark Allan Hendrickson (born June 23, 1974 in Mount Vernon, Washington, U.S.) is an American professional athlete and is one of just 10 athletes to play in both Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association. on Thursday that it won't be him. The veteran left-hander, who continued to flounder flounder: see flatfish. flounder Any of about 300 species of flatfishes (order Pleuronectiformes). When born, the flounder is bilaterally symmetrical, with an eye on each side, and it swims near the sea's surface. in losing at Milwaukee on Tuesday night, has been demoted to the bullpen. ``Mark is going to work (in relief) a couple of times to see if he can iron out some problems he is having,'' Little said. ``He is struggling right now. But I have confidence that he'll be fine. We just have to see if he can get himself back on track. He came out of the bullpen (Saturday), and for me, that was one of the best innings he has thrown.'' Hendrickson easily retired all three Colorado hitters he faced in the eighth inning of that game. But against the Brewers, he lasted just four innings, giving up five runs on seven hits. Since the Dodgers acquired him from Tampa Bay, Hendrickson is 1-7 with a 5.23 ERA. It isn't clear how long his bullpen banishment will last. ``All I know is he is a much better pitcher than he has shown so far here, and we have to see what we can do to make him better,'' Little said. Plan B: Although Little told both rookie Eric Stults and long reliever Aaron Sele to get prepared to start in place of Hendrickson against the New York Mets
``There is just an outside chance of that,'' Little said. ``But I don't want to push it that hard. He has already won three games in the past nine days.'' Sinkerball sink·er·ball n. Baseball A pitched ball that sinks sharply as it reaches the plate; a sinker. pitchers like Lowe tend to thrive with a slightly tired arm and tend to struggle when they are too rested. The Dodgers are off on Monday, so if Lowe doesn't start Sunday, he won't go until Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs on five days' rest. Billingsley update: Rookie right-hander Chad Billingsley is tentatively slated to test his strained left oblique by pitching to hitters before Tuesday night's game at Chicago. After throwing off flat ground Tuesday and Wednesday, Billingsley only light-tossed Thursday. ``It feels really good today,'' Billingsley said. Little said he hopes Billingsley can return to the rotation by the end of next week. Also: The Dodgers' Double-A Jacksonville affiliate was to begin the Southern League playoffs with a first-round series opener against Montgomery Thursday night. The Suns, who won the league title last year, went 86-54 this season to match the best record in club history. tony.jackson@dailynews.com (818) 713-3675 CAPTION(S): box Box: DODGERS AT N.Y. METS - Tony Jackson |
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