BASEBALL : DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Howell Appears Close to Return

Jay Howell sounded like a man ready to return to action by next week after he threw well in the bullpen Wednesday.

“After two weeks of not getting much better, all of a sudden my progress has been huge, just like (therapist) Pat Screnar said it would be,” said Howell, who has been on the disabled list with a tender left elbow since June 20. “I would say that my fastball was 90% there, and my breaking balls were 60% there. I would like for it all to be perfect, but I really want to get back to the team.”

Howell, who will be examined by Dr. Frank Jobe in New York this weekend, said he hopes to throw a simulated game this weekend, the final step before being activated next week.

“I am going to work very, very hard in New York,” Howell said. “I’m going to be back soon. Very soon.”

Without Howell, other Dodgers relievers have not fared well.

John Candelaria has given up three runs in his last 1 2/3 innings, increasing his earned-run average from 1.74 to 2.82. Tim Crews is 0-2 with one save in his last 10 appearances.

Nobody is struggling like Mike Hartley, who has given up 13 runs in nine appearances since Howell’s departure.

If Howell does not return as soon as he expects, or if the rest of the bullpen keeps struggling, the Dodgers may consider recalling John Wetteland, who picked up his ninth save in 19 relief appearances Tuesday night for Albuquerque. Hartley and Cook both have options that would enable the Dodgers to send them down.

Dodger Vice President Fred Claire apparently has backed off on trade talk for a relief pitcher because he is unwilling to deal top young talent. “The price is so very high . . . and we already have the team that we want,” Claire said. “It’s going to happen with the guys we have now.”