MILWAUKEE — Josh Beckett’s season might not be over, but he won’t rejoin the Dodgers’ starting rotation for at least a couple weeks after going on the disabled list Friday.
An MRI on Beckett’s left hip Thursday revealed a recurrence of a left hip impingement, as well as a related groin strain. The Dodgers retroactively dated Beckett’s DL stint to Monday, so he is eligible to come off as soon as Aug. 19. That won’t happen.
Manager Don Mattingly said he’s optimistic that Beckett can return before the end of the regular season; there are seven weeks left on the schedule. Newly acquired right-hander Roberto Hernandez will take Beckett’s place in the meantime.
“At this point we’re talking about 10 days or two weeks of rest and then starting the progression,” Mattingly said. “I anticipate that (Beckett) will be able to pitch again this year.”
Beckett insisted he was healthy after his last start, a loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday in which he allowed three runs in four innings. Beckett needed 94 pitches just to get through that outing.
Beckett is not with the Dodgers on their current road trip to Milwaukee and Atlanta.
“(The injury) sounds like it’s a lot like Clayton’s,” Mattingly said, referring to a hip injury that forced Clayton Kershaw to miss one start in September 2012. “It’s the same type of area that Clayton had a few years back when he ended up missing (six) days, and starting once, and then it kind of came back and he missed another (11) days, then he was good. I’m hoping that’s the case.”
Here’s the catch
A.J. Ellis knows the drill. Since he’s become the Dodgers’ starting catcher, he’s had to learn a new starting pitcher every summer. Joe Blanton, Josh Beckett, Ricky Nolasco and now Hernandez all became Dodgers via midseason trades, and that comes with a set of challenges.
“You’re not comfortable, that’s for sure,” Ellis said. “Even if you see a guy’s stuff (on video) you don’t know how it’s going to be when a hitter steps in.”
He and Drew Butera, who caught Hernandez on Friday, met with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to watch video of Hernandez’s recent starts. They probably liked what they saw; Hernandez limited hitters to a .173 average his last four starts with the Phillies.
“A lot of it is communicating with Roberto about what he likes to do. You try to get that feel on the fly. … You have to be willing to adapt as the game goes along, be really flexible and very open in communication throughout the game.”
It helps if one of your teammates has played with the pitcher before. For Ellis, that was Jamey Wright. Wright is 39 years old and has been pitching at the major-league level since 1996. So he’s played with everybody.
Wright played with Hernandez, who was then known as Fausto Carmona, in Cleveland (2010) and Tampa Bay (2013).
“It’s not going to be Kershaw- or Greinke-esque with no walks and 12 punchouts, but he’s going to be aggressive in the zone,” Wright said. “When he’s getting his changeup over he can cruise for four or five innings before you even have to think about getting on the phone and calling the bullpen. I was excited when we got him.”
Also …
Outfielder Andre Ethier took ground balls at first base before the game as Mattingly watched. Ethier played the only inning of his career at first base in 2010. … Hernandez was given number 55. Three players wore that number last season: Ramon Hernandez, Skip Schumaker and Matt Guerrier. … Spanish-language broadcaster Fernando Valenzuela will throw out the ceremonial first pitch today before the Little League Northwest Regional game between Washington and Oregon at 1 p.m. at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino. … Mattingly on the Dodgers’ portable dugout bubble machine, which made the road trip: “Does that thing bother me? No, it doesn’t bother me. I’m not saying I like it, but if other teams are allowed to ride the stick horse down their dugout, then ours is no different. Really – Tampa rides a stick horse down the dugout. What’s the difference?”
