Brown’s Back for More Surgery

Dodger pitcher Kevin Brown will undergo surgery today at USC Medical Center to repair a herniated disk in his lower back, a procedure that will sideline him for at least another month and possibly the remainder of the season, putting a considerable dent in Dodger pennant hopes.

Dr. Robert Watkins will perform a microscopic laser diskectomy, in which a fiber optics device is inserted in the back and the portion of the bulging disk that is putting pressure on nerve endings is shaved away.

It is Brown’s second surgery in nine months--he had surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right elbow last September--and it further clouds the future of the 37-year-old right-hander, who has three years and $45 million remaining on a seven-year, $105-million contract.

“I’ve heard nothing from the doctors to indicate his career is in jeopardy at this point; I just want him back healthy, with a healthy elbow and a healthy back,” General Manager Dan Evans said during the Dodgers’ 10-5 interleague victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Monday night. “I’m trying to remain optimistic that we’ll have him back [this season], but there’s no way of telling until after the surgery.”

Brown, on the disabled list since May 27 because of inflammation in his elbow, said he sustained the back injury while playfully wrestling with one of his sons at home on May 29.

He was in such pain he that checked himself into Centinela Hospital Medical Center on June 3 and spent four nights in the hospital. Brown, who is 2-3 with a 4.06 earned-run average in nine starts, was admitted to USC Medical Center Monday night and will remain there until Wednesday morning.

Dodger trainer Stan Johnston said doctors won’t know the extent of the back injury or how long the recovery period will be until the operation is complete.

“They might get in there and see something else, so until [the surgery] is done, you don’t know,” Johnston said. “They won’t get a full picture until they get in there.... But there’s no concern at this point that the nerve is damaged.”

The Dodgers have grown accustomed to life without Brown--he has been on the disabled list five times in the last two seasons--but it doesn’t get any easier.

“It’s tough to lose somebody like Brownie,” catcher Paul Lo Duca said. “I could care less about baseball now; I just hope he comes out of it and feels better. He’s been such a workhorse.... His back has been bothering him the last couple years, and I think this might have caused all his arm problems.

“You know, we battled our butts off last year and we played awesome, and we had a lot of injuries. We’ve been playing well this year, partly with [Brown] and partly without him. But he’s going to be missed, believe me.”

Two prominent big league pitchers underwent back surgery in recent years, with favorable results. Randy Johnson missed the final five weeks of the 1996 season because of a herniated disk, had surgery, and returned to go 20-4 with a 2.28 ERA and 291 strikeouts for Seattle in 1997.

David Wells had surgery to repair two herniated disks last July 17 and missed the remainder of the season, but he has a 6-2 record and 3.66 ERA in 11 starts for the New York Yankees this season. Arizona center fielder Steve Finley had a diskectomy after the 2000 season and returned at full strength in 2001.

But neither tried to come back during the season he was hurt. Even if Brown is cleared to resume baseball activity in a month or so, he will need several more weeks to build up enough arm strength to return to the rotation.

In the meantime, the Dodgers will use a rotation of Andy Ashby, Odalis Perez, Kazuhisa Ishii, Hideo Nomo and Omar Daal, a staff that has kept the Dodgers in contention but lacks an ace. The Dodgers, second in the National League West, a game behind Arizona, are 20-7 with Brown on the disabled list this season and 18-18 when he’s been on the active roster.

“That’s playing with numbers,” first baseman Eric Karros said. “In a short series, Kevin is the guy you’re going to want out there. You want a guy with his competitiveness and experience on the mound.”

But can the Dodgers win a playoff berth or reach the World Series without Brown?

“I think we can be very competitive over the long haul,” Karros said. “Certain clubs are built for the long run, other clubs are built for a short series. In two months, we’ve proven we can be competitive, but are we an Arizona that can run a [Curt] Schilling and Johnson out there in a short series, two horses like that? I don’t know that we’re at that level, but no team is like that.”

A deep rotation, Manager Jim Tracy said, should afford Brown time to heal properly and not be rushed back.

“We know how good we are with him, but we’ve been pretty darn good without him, so let’s give him a chance to get well,” Tracy said. “This is another hurdle for us, and we’ll get over it.”