Rafael Furcal

ST. LOUIS - Hanley Ramirez wasn't the only new Dodger to immediately see action Wednesday. So did Randy Choate. Choate, a left-handed reliever who came with Ramirez to the Dodgers in a trade with the Miami Marlins, was called in by Manager Don Mattingly with one out in the 10th inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. Choate retired the next two batters, and the first batter in the 11th inning, before being replaced by Jamey Wright (4-3), who was the losing pitcher when the Cardinals won, 3-2, in the 12th inning on a single by Rafael Furcal.

The news turned from bad to worse for the Dodgers on Tuesday. Rafael Furcal, who felt something in his surgically repaired lower back the previous night, suffered what the Dodgers said was a strained back. He was listed as day to day. The news wasn't much better from their spring training complex in Arizona. That's where trainer Stan Conte watched Manny Ramirez work out and told Manager Joe Torre that the $20-million outfielder probably wouldn't be ready to start a minor league rehabilitation for another week.

Rafael Furcal is expected to return as the Dodgers shortstop Sunday. Less certain is where he'll hit in the batting order. Tony Gwynn Jr.'s emergence as a capable leadoff hitter could thrust Furcal lower in the order. "More than anything, he's taken over that leadoff spot and that's really an area that we've scrambled with all year," Manager Don Mattingly said of Gwynn, who was batting .274 in the leadoff spot before Saturday's game as opposed to his overall .255 average.

Be patient, Rafael Furcal said. The kid who replaced him as the Dodgers starting shortstop will be fine. Furcal played at Dodger Stadium on Friday, marking the first time he had done so since the Dodgers traded him last year to the St. Louis Cardinals. Furcal, who spent the previous 5 1/2 years with the Dodgers, went into the game hitting .367, second in the National League. Dee Gordon , who made Furcal expendable in the view of Dodgers management, had a batting average of .207 and an on-base percentage of .247.

As shortstop Rafael Furcal came back from the disabled list Sunday, another Dodgers veteran, third baseman Casey Blake , went on the DL for the third time this season. Blake, 37, has struggled with a persistent sore neck. "He's been battling this thing," Manager Don Mattingly said before the Dodgers lost, 3-1, to the Angels at Angel Stadium. It's unclear whether Blake's pain and limited motion in his neck are being caused by a pinched nerve, arthritis or some other problem, but putting him on the DL should "give him the time to try to get it right," Mattingly said.

For about a month, Rafael Furcal said that his mind was wandering. His father, Silvino , was in the hospital in the Dominican Republic after being kicked by a horse. "What can I tell you?" Furcal said. "I wasn't able to concentrate." Three weeks ago, Furcal returned home to see his father during his final days. In some ways, Furcal said that the death of his father relieved him of a significant emotional burden. "What can I do now?" he asked. "Now that he's gone, I have to move forward.

Reporting from San Francisco — The Dodgers are back to where they were a season ago. Rafael Furcal is on the disabled list. Jamey Carroll is their starting shortstop. "That's why I'm here," Carroll said. Furcal, who broke his left thumb on a head-first slide into third base Monday night, visited Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles and was told his thumb will be in a splint for the next three weeks. He will not have surgery. Manager Don Mattingly said he expected Furcal to be back in the lineup in four to six weeks.

Ned Colletti compared the timing of the acquisition to that of Manny Ramirez. Only this time, the Dodgers general manager wasn't getting a 12-time All-Star to fortify the team's offense for a playoff push. In a three-team deal consummated only minutes before Sunday's non-waiver trading deadline, the Dodgers received catcher Tim Federowicz and pitchers Juan Rodriguez and Stephen Fife, all minor league players who probably won't have a section of Dodger Stadium named in their honor anytime soon.

Hiroki Kuroda essentially had a reprieve from baseball purgatory. The Dodgers wanted to trade him to a contending team, perhaps the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox. By waiving the no-trade clause in his contract, Kuroda could have pitch in packed ballparks instead of an empty one. He could have pitched again in October, maybe even won a World Series. He declined that opportunity, informing the Dodgers on Saturday that he would veto any trade. "It's his decision," Rafael Furcal said.