Baldwin Joins the List of Injured Pitchers

James Baldwin, acquired to bolster a rotation shuffled often because of injuries, might be sidelined for two weeks after suffering a strained muscle on his rib cage, the Dodgers said Sunday.

Baldwin joined the club’s long list of injured starters when he slipped while throwing a pitch in the third inning of Friday’s 10-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium.

The right-hander, who strained an oblique muscle on his left side, has been replaced in the rotation by reliever Giovanni Carrara, who is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Montreal Expos at Dodger Stadium.

Carrara was effective in two previous starts this season, going 0-1 with a 2.70 earned-run average in 10 innings. The right-hander gave up seven hits and three earned runs.

In three starts for the Dodgers, Baldwin is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA.

After pitching eight strong innings in each of his first two starts, Baldwin gave up six hits and five runs in six innings Friday.

Baldwin told the medical staff after the game that he was experiencing pain.

“He was asked [during the game] if something was wrong with him and he said no,” trainer Stan Johnston said. “He’s one of those gamer types.”

Manager Jim Tracy and pitching coach Jim Colborn hope Baldwin will be able to start Saturday against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium, but the injury might require at least 10 days to heal, meaning Baldwin would not rejoin the rotation until after the six-game homestand.

“His [oblique] isn’t as bad as I’ve seen, but it isn’t as good as I’ve seen either,” Johnston said. “He’s in that 10-14 day range.”

Baldwin is optimistic.

“Actually, they’re just backing me up to give me a couple days’ rest,” he said. “You know, right now, every game is crucial and critical, so we don’t want to have anyone else go down. It’s just a precautionary thing right now.”

The Dodgers are expected to evaluate Baldwin for at least a week before determining whether to put him on the 15-day disabled list.

Rookie starter Luke Prokopec was put on the disabled list Thursday because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, joining starters Andy Ashby, Darren Dreifort and Kevin Brown.

Ashby and Dreifort underwent season-ending surgery, Brown might be sidelined for the remainder of the season because of a torn muscle in his pitching elbow and now Baldwin is out of the rotation.

But the Dodgers are accustomed to overcoming obstacles in 2001, and Tracy said they’re not going to give up now.

“With J.B.’s situation, what the hell’s new?” Tracy said. “What choices do we have? Give up? I don’t know how to do that. I don’t believe in that.

“We didn’t show up on Feb. 15, and bring ourselves to this point in the season, [to] look at a situation like that and say to ourselves, ‘Well, that’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back.’

“We could have said that a long, long time ago. That camel would only have one hump.”

Eric Gagne lost for the first time in six second-half starts Saturday in the Phillies’ 7-3 victory.

Gagne is 3-1 with a 3.92 ERA since the All-Star break, 4-5 with a 4.92 ERA overall.

The second-year starter gave up a grand slam to Travis Lee in the first inning and was removed for a pinch-hitter in the fifth, but Tracy saw positive signs.

Tracy said Gagne remained aggressive after the four-run first, and that’s what the Dodgers want him to do.

“I’m pitching my game now,” Gagne said. “I just have to stay aggressive and I’ll be all right.”

Shortstop Alex Cora was hitless in four at-bats Sunday in a 3-2 loss to the Phillies, but has hits in 15 of his last 19 games.

“Everybody was always looking at the average, but I was just trying to make solid contact,” said Cora, batting .237. “The balls weren’t falling in for me before, but now they are.

“The only thing you can control is your approach. I was having solid [at-bats] before, but now the balls are just dropping in.”