The Dodgers were struggling with the decision of whether or not to pull someone from the rotation so that Kevin Brown could return to starting following his season of injuries, and they weren't sure which pitcher would be relegated to the bullpen by such a move. Unfortunately, a line drive off the bat of Brian L. Hunter appears to have made their decision for them. In the top of the fourth inning of LA's September 8th game against Houston, Hunter drove a fastball back to the mound, hitting Dodger starter Kazuhisa Ishii on the left side of his forehead before the pitcher had an opportunity to stop it with his glove.

Ishii suffered a concussion and a slight skull fracture, though he did not lose consciousness. He underwent surgery that night in which, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, a "titanium plate permanently inserted in the fractured skull. . . is expected to seal the damaged area to allow healing and minimize the chances of infection in the section of the sinus cavity that was shattered." Doctors also removed some bone fragments and performed an exploratory procedure to check for further damage to the skull or brain. Luckily, Ishii does not appear to have suffered any brain damage, though he'll need to remain under close supervision for a few days. He was reportedly up and about the hospital the day after the surgery.

He might be able to return at the very end of the season or for the postseason, but after such a traumatic event and so serious an injury, LA isn't inclined to rush him. When he returns next year, the team intends to work with him to overcome potential lingering fear of a repeat situation, and he will likely wear some additional head protection under his hat. The Dodgers have been criticized for starting the game in the late afternoon when shadows make it difficult to see the ball.

While Andy Ashby's injury is far less serious than that of Ishii, he's nonetheless unable to make his next start. Evidently Ashby has been pitching with a blister on his middle finger, but after his September 4th start in Arizona, the blister became infected. Blister problems can sometimes keep pitchers out of the rotation for a month or longer. However, with the Dodgers in such a close race for the wild card, I imagine Ashby will try to return after skipping no more than two starts and likely only one.

As I alluded earlier, Kevin Brown will replace the injured Ishii in the rotation. Brown's compiled a 16:10 K:BB with 17 H and 3 HR allowed in 14.1 IP for a 5.65 ERA over 7 relief appearances since his return. However most of his difficulties occurred in his first two outings after his activation from the DL, and he pitched quite well in four-inning relief session in late August. Consequently, he'll likely at least keep the Dodgers in the game, though fans shouldn't expect the Kevin Brown of old.

Brown will actually make Ashby's start tonight, leaving LA short a starter for Ishii's spot in the rotation on Friday as the team doesn't expect Ashby back until Sunday. The Dodgers may use one of several September call-ups or choose to run the game out of the bullpen with Giovanni Carrara starting. LA expanded their roster this September to include OF-L Luke Allen, LHP Victor Alvarez, RHP Kevin Beirne, 1B-R Chin-Feng Chen, RHP Giovanni Carrara, RHP Robert Ellis, OF-R Brian Jordan, IF-R Jeff Reboulet, C-R Dave Ross, OF-R Wilkin Ruan, 2B-L Joe Thurston, and LHP Jeff Williams.

The Dodgers signed Luke Allen out of high school as a nondrafted free agent in 1996. He advanced to AA by 1998 but remained at that level for the next four years aside from a brief call-up at the end of 2001 to AAA Las Vegas in the Pacific Coast League. Allen returned to Las Vegas this season, hitting .329 with a .395 OBP and .469 SLG on 165 H, 28 2B, 3 3B, and 12 HR with a 56:77 BB:K and 4/10 SB% in 501 AB. Allen doesn't appear capable of using his speed for offensive purposes, but he has a moderate amount of power. Although he'll need to continue developing his plate discipline, he's shown improvement this year. The 24-year-old is certainly ready for at least a bench job in the majors and could probably start in left for the Dodgers next season. However, this month LA will likely use him primarily as a left-handed pinch-hitter.

Alvarez split his time between starting and relief at AAA this season, finishing the year with a 106:39 K:BB in 122.2 IP while allowing 132 H and 11 HR for a 4.70 ERA over 15 starts in 34 appearances at Las Vegas. The 25-year-old appears capable of either starting or relieving in the majors, so I'm uncertain why LA didn't give him a longer audition earlier this season. He's a candidate to make the spot start on Friday and should give them a higher quality lefty in the pen than they've had for most of the season.

Beirne could also make Friday's start, though he's far less skilled than Alvarez. More likely, he'll provide the Dodgers with an additional middle reliever this month, removing some of the burden from the regular bullpen members.

Chin-Feng Chen is the first Taiwanese player in the majors. He signed with LA as a nondrafted free agent in 1999 and worked his way through the minors reaching AAA this season. In 511 AB with Las Vegas, he had 145 H, 26 2B, 4 3B, and 26 HR with a 58:160 BB:K and 1/1 SB% for a .284 BA, .352 OBP, and .503 SLG. This month he'll likely be limited to pinch-hitting. Chen needs to improve his walk rate in order to balance his high strikeout totals, but he possesses considerable power and should probably break camp in the majors next season. Despite their position on the edge of the postseason, the franchise would likely benefit most from a short rebuilding project, integrating the talent emerging from their minor league system with a selection of the current team for a stronger future.

I thought LA likely benefited from Carrara leaving the roster for the DL in mid-August. His dominance has decreased dramatically, and while the skill decline hasn't yet shown up in his ERA, the Dodgers should limit his appearances this month if they're serious about continuing their pursuit of the postseason.

The 31-year-old minor league veteran Ellis hit his stride at AAA this season, posting a 110:37 K:BB with 195 H and 17 HR allowed in 172.2 IP for a 4.17 ERA. He may be considered for Friday's start but will likely be limited to long relief in blowouts and extra inning games.

LA waited until after rosters expanded to activate Jordan from the DL, and although he felt ready to return, he suffered a setback last week, causing him to miss a few days. He'll likely be day-to-day for most of the rest of the season with travel aggravating his condition.

Reboulet was also on the disabled list with a back problem, but he's supposedly fully recovered after over a month on the DL. He'll return to his pre-injury role as a reserve infielder.

The Dodgers drafted Ross out of the University of Florida in the 7th round of the 1998 draft. He's progressed at a steady rate through the minors, showing more offense than many catchers. This season with Las Vegas, he hit .297 with a .384 OBP and .519 SLG on 87 H, 16 2B, 2 3B, and 15 HR with a 35:86 BB:K and 1/2 SB% in 293 AB. The 25-year-old offers LA some power with acceptable plate discipline in their third catcher this month, and he could easily join the major league team as their back-up back-stop next season.

Montreal signed Ruan as a nondrafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 1996. After the Dodgers acquired him with Guillermo Mota for Matt Herges and Jorge Nunez in Spring Training, he split this season between AA Jacksonville in the Southern League and AAA Las Vegas. Ruan likely should have spent the entire season at AA as he hasn't demonstrated good plate discipline since his time in the Dominican Summer League. As he owns no power, developing his strike zone judgment should be a particular priority with Ruan since his speed is his main asset. I expect he'll primarily pinch-run this month, though he could also receive some work in the outfield and as a right-handed pinch-hitter. The 24-year-old should return to AAA at least for the first half of 2003.

Los Angeles drafted Thurston out of Sacramento Community College in the 4th round of the 1999 draft. He's worked his way quickly through the minor league system, spending last season at AA Jacksonville. The Dodgers sent him to the Arizona Fall League in 2001 and then placed him with AAA Las Vegas this season. Thurston's plate discipline needs improvement, but he possesses moderate power and good speed skills. Despite his strike zone judgment problems, I'd also suggest that Thurston also break camp with the team and experience his growing pains with Allen and Chen. This month he'll work as a left-handed pinch-hitter and reserve middle infielder.

Williams doesn't have the starting ability of Alvarez, but he likely would have performed better than some of the other lefties the Dodgers gave longer tryouts. He'll now join the rest of the southpaws in LA bullpen, allowing the team to use a new pitcher for almost every left-handed batter they face in the latter innings.

Los Angeles has already slipped into a tie for the NL Wild Card with San Francisco. The Dodgers' two remaining games in their current road series against the Giants and four home games against them next week likely will determine whether LA reaches the postseason. I can't say I'm currently optimistic. Tonight's LA@SF game is probably worth catching, since in addition to the Wild Card implications, you could catch Chin-Feng Chen's debut as a pinch-hitter.