Dodgers infielder Doug Mientkiewicz will undergo surgery Monday to repair a complete dislocation of his right shoulder, which he suffered when he made an awkward slide into second base on his pinch-hit, two-run double in Thursday night's win over San Francisco.
Mientkiewicz underwent an MRI on Friday that showed the front part of the labrum had been pulled loose, along with the capsule. He is expected to miss anywhere from three to five months, meaning could return sometime between July and August. Mientkiewicz was placed on the 15-day disabled list, but it seems likely he will be quickly moved to the 60-day to clear a 40-man roster spot. Among the group of non-roster veterans currently pitching for the Dodgers' Class AAA Albuquerque affiliate is right-hander Jeff Weaver, who pitched well enough in spring training to make the club only to miss the cut when team officials were unable to clear a 40-man spot for him.
Mientkiewicz is renowned for his scrappy style of play and his professional presence in the clubhouse. The injury was especially hard for him to take given that the slide was unnecessary, but he thought he saw a Giants infielder reaching for a throw from the outfield.
Dodgers manager Joe Torre reiterated on Friday that Mientkiewicz can't be faulted for his gritty approach on the play because that approach is how he made the team in the first place.
"Knowing him, he'll try to make it back in four weeks," Torre said. "But that isn't going to happen."
DODGERS 4, ROCKIES 3: Left-hander Randy Wolf rebounded from a disastrous, three-run first inning to dominate over the next five, keeping the Dodgers within striking distance until the club could unload on the Rockies' bullpen in a four-run seventh. Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Mark Loretta drove in the runs. Hong-Chih Kuo faltered in the eighth, but Jonathan Broxton recorded the final five outs, pitching out of Kuo's bases-loaded, one-out jam.
