Penny goes back on the disabled list

Put on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season, Brad Penny said Thursday that he felt the way he did when he started his first stint on the DL in mid-June because of tendinitis in his shoulder. Penny was rocked by Philadelphia for six runs in three innings Wednesday night, his second start since being activated last week.

“Everything’s the same,” Penny said.

Middle reliever Cory Wade also went on the DL because of stiffness in his shoulder, prompting the Dodgers to call up left-hander Eric Stults and right-hander Tanyon Sturtze from triple-A Las Vegas.

The Dodgers’ opening day starter, Penny received a cortisone injection Thursday and will be shut down for the next five days. Manager Joe Torre said he was uncertain when Penny would be able to return.

Penny’s first stretch on the disabled list lasted two months.

Torre said he didn’t know who would replace Penny in the rotation. Because Penny’s next turn falls Monday, which is an off-day, Torre said the spot could be skipped.

Penny, who is 6-9 with a 6.09 earned-run average, said he felt discomfort after his start in San Francisco on Friday, when he limited the Giants to a run over five innings but raised concerns because his fastball sat in the high 80s.

Asked why he took another turn in the rotation, Penny replied, “I want to pitch, you know. You get paid to pitch.”

Penny’s condition could cloud his future with the Dodgers, as his contract includes a $9.25-million club option for next season that could be bought out for $2 million.

Wade said he was told by the team’s medical staff that there was no structural damage to his shoulder.

Stults was called up to the big leagues in June and was 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA in six starts, among them a complete-game shutout of the Chicago White Sox on June 25.

Sturtze pitched out of the bullpen for Torre in New York from 2004-2006. He didn’t make the Dodgers’ major league roster out of spring training, but remained in the organization at Torre’s insistence and was 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA in 18 games at Las Vegas.

Kent on a tear, but why?

Jeff Kent told a reporter that he was “coloring too much” -- or “making up [stuff]” -- by suggesting that he hit well over the last week because he was batting in front of Manny Ramirez in the No. 3 slot. Entering Thursday, Kent was 13 for 26 with eight runs batted in over his last seven games.

“I’ve made adjustments my whole career,” Kent said. “I’ve continued to make adjustments all through this year. You can never put too much emphasis on one week.”

Torre disagreed.

“What I’m seeing is Jeff being the hitter he is and not having to go outside of his zone,” Torre said. “He’s hit in situations where we’ve wanted him to hit, but they didn’t necessarily have to pitch to him. I’ve seen him swing at some bad balls knowing that he was the one we were counting on. I think now he’s a little more patient, maybe not consciously patient.”

Short hops

Outfielders Andruw Jones and Delwyn Young will start rehab assignments with triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday in Fresno. . . . The Dodgers put in a waiver claim on Ronnie Belliard, making it possible for them to acquire the second baseman from Washington in a trade. But it appears the Dodgers made the move to prevent Belliard from going to Arizona, which lost Orlando Hudson for the season. . . . The Dodgers’ inaugural ThinkCure radiotelethon will take place this weekend on 790 AM, 95.5 FM and Channel 9 to raise money for cancer research. Donations can be made online at www.thinkcure.org, by calling 866-554-CURE or in person at the stadium.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com