Chad Billingsley Sent To DL With Elbow Pain

To make up for his loss, the Dodgers have brought up left-handed reliever Steven Rodriguez from Double-A Chattanooga. Rodriguez has five saves with a 0.92 ERA in 21 relief appearances. He was selected in the second round with the 82nd pick by the Dodgers out of the University of Florida and has pitched lights out at Chattanooga, allowing a batting average of .149 and striking out 22 over 13.2 innings.

Don Mattingly indicates that Billingsley will receiving an injection of platelet-rich plasma in his right elbow, and his return this season is unlikely.

Kasten spoke at a fan discussion presented by the Los Angeles Times and moderated by columnist Bill Dwyre.

In an interview later, Kasten said his comments were made out of concern and “not based on medical evidence.” He said the Dodgers’ search for pitching was not necessarily motivated by Billingsley’s injury.

An MRI on the elbow last night showed inflammation. Last night, Billingsley said:

The injury could be of some concern for Dodgers fans, as this Billingsley hit the DL in mid-July with similar problems.

Edit: Billingsley left with a “tender right elbow”

Billingsley spent two weeks on the disabled list in July with right elbow inflammation, but because of the timing of the All-Star break, he missed just one start. Since his return, Billingsley had won six starts and, including Friday, had a 1.80 ERA during that span with 11 walks and 28 strikeouts in 45 innings.