SAN DIEGO -- Los Angeles closer Eric Gagne was placed on the
15-day disabled list on Tuesday because of stiffness in his
surgically repaired pitching elbow and the Dodgers activated second
baseman Jeff Kent, who had been out with a sprained left wrist.
Gagne earned his first save in nearly a year on June 6 by
striking out two in a perfect ninth inning in an 8-5 victory over
the New York Mets, but said afterward he wasn't 100 percent. The
right-hander went on the DL retroactive to June 7.
Gagne had surgery April 7 to remove a nerve from his right
elbow, his second operation in less than a year.
The nerve that was removed was the same one that was moved
during a season-ending operation on June 24, 2005.
Gagne, a three-time All-Star who holds the major league record
of 84 consecutive successful save opportunities, pitched a
scoreless inning June 2 against Philadelphia in his first
appearance of the season. His outing against the Mets was his
second.
Manager Grady Little doesn't know if Gagne will be ready to be
activated when he's eligible.
"We have our hopes, but we have to go by what's going on in his
elbow," Little said. "And right now, we don't know what's going
on in that elbow. We're just trying to get him back to where he can
pitch."