Shortstop Rafael Furcal has suffered what appears to be another setback in his seemingly endless attempt to come back from a lower back injury that has sidelined him for almost two months.
After finally beginning his minor league rehabilitation assignment Monday by going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI while playing four innings at shortstop for Class AAA Las Vegas, Furcal woke up with more discomfort in his back. He returned to Los Angeles and is scheduled to be examined Wednesday by a back specialist. Club officials were hoping to activate Furcal when the team begins its final homestand of the first half next Monday against Atlanta. The severity of the setback and how it affects Furcal won't be known until after the exam.
Furcal's absence has affected the Dodgers profoundly.
Besides being their leadoff man and offensive catalyst, he also provides a degree of leadership both on the field and in the clubhouse that has been noticeably absent since he was scratched from the starting lineup just before game time May 6. At that time, his injury was thought to be nothing more serious than lower back discomfort that wasn't expected to keep him out more than a day or two.
DODGERS 7, ASTROS 6 (11 innings): The Dodgers blew a 6-1 lead and what would have been rookie Clayton Kershaw's first major league victory. But after relievers Jonathan Broxton, Joe Beimel and Chan Ho Park saved them by shutting out the Astros in the eighth, ninth and 10th, Jeff Kent saved them with his eighth home run of the season, a one-out blast into the left-field seats off former Dodgers farmhand Wesley Wright in the 11th.
