DODGERS NOTEBOOK: SCHMIDT LIKELY DONE FOR SEASON.

Byline: Tony Jackson 

Staff Writer

ST. LOUIS -- Dodgers manager Joe Torre confirmed on Thursday what anyone who was paying attention had long suspected: right-hander Jason Schmidt is, for all practical purposes, done for the season.

"At this juncture, a lot would have to happen in a hurry for him to be able to pitch for us at this level," Torre said. "He would have to start throwing bullpens (now), and then his rehab probably would take him through the second week of September at this point. I think it would be a long shot."

Schmidt, in the second season of a three-year, $47 million contract, hasn't pitched in the majors since undergoing shoulder surgery 14 months ago.

His second rehabilitation assignment, with Triple-A Las Vegas, was shut down when he experienced discomfort following a start against Tacoma on July 13, when Schmidt was rocked for five runs over 2 1/3 innings. That was the last time Schmidt threw off a mound.

Schmidt made just six starts for the Dodgers last year, going 1-4 with a 6.31 ERA at a point when it was obvious to anyone watching that his velocity, which routinely had hit the mid-90 mph range during the peak of Schmidt's career, had fallen dramatically.

When he underwent surgery on June 20, 2007, it was believed Schmidt could return in time for this year's season opener or shortly thereafter. But he has experienced repeated setbacks, and with the minor-league regular season set to end on Sept. 3, Schmidt is running out of time to resume his rehab.

Protest update

The Dodgers had 24 hours from the conclusion of Tuesday night's loss to the Cardinals to file their written protest of the game, something Torre informed the umpiring crew he planned to do.

Torre's protest came after crew chief Tim Welke ruled that Mark Sweeney had officially entered the game when he stepped into the batter's box, even though plate umpire Chris Guccione had verbally told Torre that Sweeney wasn't officially in the game yet.

The protest is sent to Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice president for baseball operations in the commissioner's office. Solomon then forwards it to Bob DuPuy, Major League Baseball's president and chief operating officer, who either upholds or dismisses the protest.

"(The rulings) usually come down pretty quickly," said Pat Courtney, MLB's vice president for public relations. "It has to be within five days (of the filing of the protest)."

Such protests are almost never upheld.

Historical perspective

The most famously upheld protest came in 1983, when Hall of Famer George Brett of Kansas City homered off Hall of Famer Rich "Goose" Gossage of the New York Yankees to give the Royals the lead in the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. After Brett rounded the bases, the umpires called him out and waved off the home run when the late Billy Martin, then the Yankees' manager, pointed out that Brett's bat had more than the allowable amount of pine tar.

The Royals protested that game, and it was replayed from that point several weeks later.

Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly, then a rookie first baseman for the Yankees, played second base in the resumption, becoming the second of only three left-handed throwers to appear in a big-league game at second base in the past 36 seasons.

Mattingly laughed when reminded of the whole matter on Thursday.

"If you look at the letter of the rule, it was definitely an illegal bat," he said. "But common sense should tell you that pine tar didn't help him hit the home run. It was kind of like (Wednesday) night. Where was the common sense?"

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Photo:

Jason Schmidt, after struggling in several minor-league rehab starts, hasn't pitched in a big-league game for the Dodgers in 14 months.

Brad Mangin/MLB Photos via Getty Images