Dodgers Lineup

PITTSBURGH — Veteran utilityman Jerry Hairston Jr. was put on the 15-day disabled list Monday because of a sore left hip. Elian Herrera , who was called up from triple-A Albuquerque in mid-May and appeared in 51 games with the Dodgers, again joined the big league club in Hairston's place. Hairston, 36, was sent to Los Angeles for tests and treatment after telling Manager Don Mattingly and the Dodgers' training staff that his hip problem had worsened, Mattingly said. After Hairston was removed from Saturday's game in Miami because of tightness in the hip and was out of the lineup again Sunday, the Dodgers initially thought his problem might keep him sidelined only a couple of days.

The Dodgers' series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks wasn't the only game that was on backup catcher Matt Treanor's mind Monday. As his teammates dressed in the clubhouse, Treanor sat in front of his locker, staring at a computer. This is how Treanor is following his wife, beach volleyball star Misty May-Treanor , as she tries to win her third consecutive Olympic gold medal in London. May-Treanor and partner Kerri Walsh Jennings beat a Czech team, 21-14, 21-19.

Here are my suggestions for the Dodgers' batting order: Leadoff: Matt Kemp. He gets on base a lot. Batting second: Gotta be Mark Ellis. He's the ideal No. 2 hitter. Batting third: I'd have Andre Ethier because it's good to have the lefty-righty thing. Cleanup: Kemp again. Fifth: Ethier. You need his bat there again. Sixth: Kemp. Obvious. Batting seventh: Ethier. He'd be very effective in that spot. Batting eighth: Kemp. Great when you can get unexpected production in the eight hole.

PHOENIX - Evidently, the Dodgers still have some magic in reserve. Jerry Hairston Jr.was batting third, Juan Rivera fourth and Luis Cruz fifth, but the Dodgers somehow downed the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-1, on Thursday at Chase Field and increased their lead in the National League West. They moved 11/2 games ahead of the second-place San Francisco Giants, who blew a four-run lead in a walk-off 6-5 loss to the Washington Nationals. The Dodgers' latest how-did-they-do-that victory came on a day they learned shortstop Dee Gordon would undergo a thumb operation that will sideline him for six weeks.

PHOENIX -- Dee Gordon looked crushed as he sat in the visiting dugout at Chase Field on Thursday. He had learned earlier in the day that he had a torn tendon in his right thumb that would require surgery. He will sit out for six weeks. The diagnosis came as a surprise to Gordon, who injured his thumb in a head-first slide on Wednesday. He said his thumb didn't hurt. “I thought it was probably like a partial tear and not to where I needed surgery,” he said. Gordon, who has had an up-and-down season, sighed.

When Matt Kemp starts his minor league rehabilitation assignment for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, he will be met by a capacity crowd at the Epicenter. The first game of Kemp's rehabilitation assignment is sold out, a spokesman for the minor league club said. Kemp confirmed he plans to be Rancho Cucamonga's designated hitter Tuesday. Sidelined since May 31 with a strained left hamstring, Kemp will play in minor league games right up to the All-Star break, during which he will compete in the Home Run Derby.

Matt Kemp said he intends to return to the Dodgers lineup on July 13 against the San Diego Padres, the team's first game after the All-Star break. “I'll be ready,” Kemp said. Kemp is planning to start a minor league rehabilitation assignment next week. He is expecting to miss the All-Star game, but is certain he will take part in the home run derby. “I'm doing it,” he said. Bullpen catcher Rob Flippo will pitch to Kemp at the home run derby. Mark Ellis, who is scheduled to start a minor league rehabilitation assignment on Saturday, has talked about feeling guilty for being injured while his team is in a season-worst rut. “I feel the same,” Kemp said.

Juan Uribe sat and watched Sunday, which should become more a regular feature for the Dodgers. Uribe has never really hit in the 1½ years he's been with Los Angeles, but he's been at a new low since coming off the disabled list. In the 11 games since he's returned from a sore wrist, he's hitting .161 (5 for 31) with a .188 on-base percentage and a .258 slugging percentage. Even Manager Don Mattingly, who would typically insist Uribe was hitting the ball well when the numbers indicated otherwise, now seems to be facing reality since Uribe's return.

Friday marked four years to the day that a sandy-haired Texan debuted at Dodger Stadium. It was a ballyhooed occasion for a ballyhooed pitcher, and he shined with a brilliant performance that his team capped with a close win. That victory prefigured many more for the Dodgers with Clayton Kershaw listed as their scheduled starter. But, 125 starts and a National League Cy Young Award later, the left-handed ace left the mound Friday night after a performance short of his reputation, which ultimately led to his team leaving the field with a loss, 3-1, to Houston.

Shortstop Dee Gordon was out of the Dodgers lineup Saturday. He probably won't be in the lineup for the next couple of days, either. Manager Don Mattingly figures that sitting Gordon for a few days could help the 24-year-old leadoff hitter slow down the game mentally and catch his breath. Gordon, who is in his first full season as the everyday shortstop, was the only starting position player to not reach base in a 6-5 victory over theSt. Louis Cardinalson Friday.