In addition to Joel Pineiro, Vicente Padilla and Jon Garland, add Braden Looper to the list of veteran free-agent pitchers on the Dodgers radar as they search for an innings-eating fourth starter. Looper was on the Dodgers' shopping list a year ago, but the Dodgers signed Randy Wolf for a $5 million base and Looper signed with Milwaukee for $4.75 million. Looper then went 14-7 with a 5.22 ERA for the Brewers in 2009, pitching 194 2/3 innings. He has won in double figures each of his three seasons as a starter. -- Ken Gurnick

Mitch Webster, the scout who signed Blake DeWitt and Scott Elbert, left the organization to become Midwest regional scouting director of the Kansas City Royals. Webster had been a Major League scout the past two seasons and was part of the team that scouted the St. Louis Cardinals for this year's NL Division Series. -- Ken Gurnick

Dodger minor league shortstop Dee Gordon and outfielder Brian Cavazos-Galvez were named Topps/Minor League Players of the Year for their respective leagues. Gordon, son of Major Leaguer Tom Gordon, won the honors in the Single-A Midwest League, batting .301 with a league-leading 73 steals and 12 triples for the Great Lakes Loons.  Gordon also earned the Branch Rickey Award as the Dodgers' Minor League Player of the Year, Midwest League Prospect of the Year, and league co-Most Valuable Player.  He was selected in the fourth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

 

Cavazos-Galvez, son of former Dodgers pitcher Balvino Galvez, claimed the award for the Rookie-advanced Pioneer League, batting .322 with a league-leading 18 homers for the Ogden Raptors.  Cavazos-Galvez, 22, won the league's Most Valuable Player Award and was named to the league All-Star team after being selected in the 12th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of New Mexico. -- Ken Gurnick

Dodger Midwest Scouting Supervisor Gary Nickels will be inducted into the Midwest Scouts Association Hall of Fame Saturday and the Mid Atlantic Scouts Association Hall of Fame next Saturday.  The 2009 season is Nickels' 38th as a scout and seventh in his current position. Dodgers drafted under his supervision include Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Scott Elbert, Blake DeWitt, Cory Wade and A.J. Ellis. -- Ken Gurnick

Left-handed pitcher Aaron Miller, the Dodgers' top pick in the June draft, was shut down with an oblique strain and taken off the Arizona Fall League roster.  -- Ken Gurnick

Don Mattingly, the Dodgers hitting coach and presumed heir apparent to manager Joe Torre, has declined to interview for the vacant Washington Nationals manager job, according to baseball sources. The development is an indication that Mattingly and the Dodgers are making progress on a new contract that would formalize his succeeding Torre, who has one year remaining on his contract. None of Torre's coaching staff is signed beyond this year. -- Ken Gurnick

Manager Joe Torre has the same eight position players starting Sunday night in Game 3 of the NLCS, but he's juggled the batting order against Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee from the one he used in Game 1 against lefty Cole Hamels.

He left Rafael Furcal first and Russell Martin eighth, but moved everybody else around. Ronnie Belliard moved from seventh to second; Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez and Matt Kemp moved down one slot each from second, third and fourth to third, fourth and fifth; and he moved James Loney ahead of Casey Blake, the pair now sixth and seventh.

This gets Belliard, 3-for-8 in the first two games, nearer the top of the order while moving down Blake, 1-for-8. -- Ken Gurnick 

Starter Hiroki Kuroda has a herniation of his cervical spine and will not pitch in the first round of the playoffs, Dodgers manager Joe Torre said Friday. Torre said Vicente Padilla will start Sunday's regular-season finale and will be considered for the starting rotation for the first round of playoffs. He said Chad Billingsley and Jon Garland remain in the mix for the four starters and no decision on who joins Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw will be made until an opponent is determined. Kuroda last pitched Monday in Pittsburgh, allowing seven runs, but didn't complain about neck pain until running in the outfield Tuesday in San Diego. -- Ken Gurnick

Left fielder Manny Ramirez was out of Monday's lineup with a tight hamstring he originally felt Saturday night. Manager Joe Torre said he did not consider the injury serious. However, Casey Blake was sent home to have a lingering tight hamstring examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. And Ronnie Belliard missed Monday's game with a tight groin muscle. -- Ken Gurnick

Randy Wolf has been scratched from his scheduled start Friday night against the Giants with stiffness in the back of his left elbow. Wolf was sent to Los Angeles and received a cortisone injection. Club officials believe the injury is not serious. Hiroki Kuroda will start Friday. -- Ken Gurnick