VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Brad Penny will always remember his
second start with the Los Angeles Dodgers -- especially the 14th
pitch.
And not fondly.
Penny was facing the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning
last August when suddenly, he jumped off the mound, grabbing his
pitching arm in obvious distress.
"Just like being electrocuted," he recalled at the Dodgers'
spring training complex. "I felt something first, then tried to
throw another pitch."
Everything was fine, and then the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder was in
agony.
Just like that.
Penny won't say much more about the rare nerve injury he
sustained to his right biceps nearly seven months ago that
effectively ended his season and has caused uncertainty for this
year.
"I'm fed up with talking about it," he said firmly. "I just
want to forget about it and move on."
The Dodgers want the same thing since the 26-year-old
right-hander is being counted on as a key member of their starting
rotation.
"None of us know exactly what that felt like," manager Jim
Tracy said of Penny's injury. "We know what it looked like. We
probably can assume what it felt like. You just have to allow him
to continue to do his thing and see where it takes us, wait it
out."
Penny's thing right now is bullpen work every other day. He
threw 54 pitches from the mound Tuesday in his latest outing, along
with several more from flat ground.
"Same stuff. I'm going to work a little harder every time
out," Penny said afterward.
And when will he pitch in a game?
"Right now, we don't know," Dodgers physical therapist Pat
Screnar said. "He's heading in the right direction. We'll just go
at his pace. I wouldn't rule out him being ready to start the
season. There's still plenty of time left."
Tracy said Penny is not to the point where he's ready to throw
breaking pitches.
"He knows what he's feeling," Tracy said. "It's his arm. It's
only wise to get his input."
Penny said he's pain-free and optimistic concerning his future.
"Yeah, very (optimistic)," he said. "I feel pretty good. I'm
on the right track. I'm feeling better every bullpen. I'm working
my butt off -- I'm going to be out there this year."
Nobody can say when.
The Dodgers acquired Penny from the Florida Marlins on July 30
in a six-player deal, making the trade because they believed they
needed an ace to make an impact in the postseason.
As it turned out, they were right since their starting pitching
was inefficient while losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in an NL
division series.
After going 8-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 21 starts for the Marlins
before the trade, Penny blanked the Pirates on two hits for eight
innings in his Los Angeles debut Aug. 3.
Injured in his second start, he waited until Sept. 22 before
trying to pitch again, and he lasted until the fourth inning
against the San Diego Padres before aggravating the injured nerve.
That was it for the season.
"I could feel it coming. It wasn't as bad (as the first
time)," Penny said of his outing in San Diego.
He said he had a normal offseason, throwing some and not living
in fear that his career might be in jeopardy.
Penny had his best season in 2003, going 14-10 with a 4.13 ERA
and winning two games in the World Series to help the Marlins beat
the Yankees. He spent his entire big-league career with Florida
before the trade.
"He's huge for this team," Derek Lowe said. "This guy's got a
World Series ring, just as well as I do."
Lowe, who joined the Dodgers during the offseason, was the
winner in each of Boston's three postseason series last October as
the Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918.