Penny Probably Will Pitch Sunday

The forecast for Coors Field on Sunday afternoon calls for temperatures in the mid-60s and a high probability of Brad Penny pitching for the Dodgers.

Penny is scheduled to make his season debut against the Colorado Rockies unless temperatures in Denver unexpectedly plummet into the low 40s or below, in which case Elmer Dessens or D.J. Houlton would pitch and Penny’s first start would be pushed back another day or two.

Manager Jim Tracy said Wednesday he was confident that Penny was ready for his first major league start since aggravating his biceps nerve injury in September. Penny threw 79 pitches in his final rehabilitation start for triple-A Las Vegas on Monday, with his fastball touching 97 mph in the last of his six innings.

“I know that Brad Penny has done everything that he can possibly do to be ready to take this start,” Tracy said. “I don’t know that there’s any other base that we can cover before sending him out there to pitch.”

Penny, who will be limited to 85 pitches, said he was excited to rejoin a rotation that he was supposed to anchor upon his acquisition by the Dodgers last July. He pitched eight shutout innings in his Dodger debut but had to leave his final two starts prematurely because of nerve damage in his biceps.

“It’s been a long time, so I’m just going to prepare myself and go out there,” said Penny, who promised General Manager Paul DePodesta that he would not alter his mechanics while pitching at hitter-friendly Coors Field, where Penny is 1-1 with a 4.00 earned-run average in 18 innings.

If an unexpected chill hits Denver, Dessens would pitch unless he is still bothered by the muscle spasms in his right shoulder that forced him out of Tuesday’s game in the fourth inning. Dessens said he felt better Wednesday and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday to test his shoulder.

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Norihiro Nakamura became the Dodgers’ fifth starting first baseman this season because Hee-Seop Choi was 0 for 11 with five strikeouts in his career against San Diego starter Woody Williams.... Rookie Jason Repko started in left field because Ricky Ledee was experiencing some soreness on his side from sliding home in the ninth inning Tuesday. Ledee struck out as pinch-hitter in the eighth.

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DODGERS TONIGHT

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DODGERS’

SCOTT ERICKSON

vs.

PADRES’

ADAM EATON

*--* THE MATCHUPS 2004 2005 VS OPP TEAMS/PITCHERS W-L ERA TEAM W-L IP ERA DODGERS/Erickson (R) 1-0 6.97 2-0 1-0 6.0 3.00 San Diego/Eaton (R) 1-1 3.24 2-1 0-1 6.0 4.50

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Petco Park, 7

TV -- FSN West 2. Radio -- 980, 1330.

Update -- Erickson was shelled for seven hits and six runs in 4 1/3 innings April 9 against the Arizona Diamondbacks before rebounding for a solid six-inning performance Saturday against the Padres in which he gave up four hits and two runs. Eaton, normally a Dodger killer, was battered for eight hits and five runs -- three earned -- in six innings during the latter game.

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-- Ben Bolch