With 3 Injured, Dodgers Aren’t Hurt by Rain-Out

For the first 13 games, when one of the Dodger trainers would give a daily injury report, he invariably would throw up his hands and happily say: “Everybody’s in the lineup.”

Well, Tuesday night, no one was in the lineup for either the Dodgers or the San Diego Padres, because of the 13th rain-out in Dodger Stadium history. The last rain-out at Dodger Stadium was Sept. 24, 1986, against the Padres.

The Dodgers did not announce a makeup date for the game, but it either will be Thursday or in a June series between the teams. The Dodgers and Padres each will start Tuesday’s scheduled pitchers--Fernando Valenzuela (1-2) against Jimmy Jones (1-1) tonight.

But even if they had played Tuesday night, the Dodger lineup would have been missing three starters because of injury, making the trainers work overtime for the first time this season.

Second baseman Steve Sax is listed day-to-day with a sprained joint on the ring finger of his right hand, which was injured when Sax slid headfirst into third base Monday night. After being examined Tuesday by Dr. Ralph Gambardella, Sax said he could be out from 2 to 10 days. Sax could not grip a ball or hold a bat without pain.

Center fielder John Shelby is out indefinitely with a strained left abdominal muscle. Shelby, who received an anti-inflammatory injection Tuesday, suffered the injury on a check swing Monday night. He said he felt “like I was stabbed with a knife.”

Left fielder Kirk Gibson missed Sunday’s and Monday’s games with a strained left hamstring.

Even players not on the Dodgers’ roster made injury news Tuesday. Mariano Duncan, the Dodger shortstop playing with triple-A Albuquerque, injured his right knee sliding in a game last Friday and was flown to Los Angeles to be examined by Dr. Frank Jobe. More tests are scheduled for today, but the Dodgers fear that Duncan has cartilage damage.

Sax said he was happy that X-rays of his finger taken late Monday night showed no fracture. But the injury came at a bad time, since he was breaking out of a hitting slump with 2 hits and 2 RBIs Monday.

“I started getting a good feel back at the plate,” Sax said. “I felt like I did when I hit real well in ’86. I tried to take that into the game, and I did. I hope this doesn’t slow me down.”

Gibson’s attempt to play Monday night despite soreness in his hamstring apparently aggravated the situation.

“I guess I was kind of advised that I shouldn’t play, but I said no, I gotta play,” said Gibson, who is hoping he can play tonight. “I figured I’d tape it up, slap some heat on it and get it loose. But when I tried to stride out in the outfield (before the game), I felt it big-time.”