The Dodgers are expected to call up prized pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw from double-A Jacksonville, and he could start Sunday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals.
A major league source, speaking on condition of anonymity because Kershaw had not been told of his call-up as of Friday evening, confirmed the move. An official announcement is expected today.
When Kershaw would make his big league debut has been a subject of considerable speculation since spring training, when the 20-year-old left-hander allowed only one run and struck out 19 in 14 innings after being promoted from minor league camp.
A first-round draft pick two years ago, Kershaw has been kept on a strict pitch count at Jacksonville, where he is 0-3 with a 2.28 earned-run average and 47 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings. In his last outing Thursday he pitched just an inning -- retiring the side in order, striking out two -- before being pulled under orders from the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have been without a permanent fifth starter all season. On Friday, however, they began a streak of 17 games in as many days, meaning they'll need a fifth starter three times before their next scheduled day off June 9.
And calling up Kershaw this weekend allows him to make his Dodgers debut before a supportive crowd while giving scheduled Sunday starter Chad Billingsley an extra day's rest.
Billingsley pitched well in his last two starts, but threw more than 100 pitches each time.
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Rafael Furcal was not activated from the disabled list as expected Friday and his sore back could cause him to miss at least part of the Dodgers' upcoming trip to Chicago and New York.
"He said he woke up [Thursday] morning and it was a little achy," Manager Joe Torre said of Furcal, who was not available for comment. "He was doing so well. I don't think he's gone all the way back to square one but this certainly is a setback."
Furcal was hitting a team-high .366 and ranked among the National League leaders in several offensive categories before being sidelined May 6.
"He's obviously disappointed," Torre said. "But there's not much you can do."
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Center fielder Andruw Jones, who hasn't started since Sunday because of partially torn cartilage in his right knee, ran and performed agility drills on the Dodgers' off-day Thursday and said the swelling in his knee has subsided. But Jones hasn't ruled out the possibility of surgery.
