Penny’s Outing Ends Quickly

There was no yelp this time from Brad Penny, no distressed hop off the mound, no clutching his arm in pain.

There was nothing to suggest the Dodger right-hander had suffered a recurrence of the biceps nerve injury that curtailed his 2004 season and caused him to begin this season on the disabled list.

But Penny left the Dodgers’ 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night at Bank One Ballpark after facing four batters, calmly gesturing from the mound for trainer Stan Johnston.

Penny was examined by Diamondback physician Michael Lee, who said the injury was the result of fatigue and overuse. Penny left the clubhouse before reporters were allowed in, but Johnston said the tightness might be related to last season’s serious injury.

“It makes you wonder because the sensory branch of nerves does go into that area,” Johnston said. “But the neurological findings all were normal.”

Penny, 27, injured the biceps under eerily similar circumstances Aug. 8, 2004, in the first inning of his second start after being acquired from Florida in a trade. He made one more start, Sept. 22 at San Diego, and left in the fourth inning with the same pain.

He was the biggest Dodger question mark when the season began, but emerged as one of the few bright spots. He has been a stable force in the rotation despite a 7-9 record and was rewarded with a three-year, $25.5-million extension in June.

This was his 13th no-decision, yet only the third time he has lasted fewer than five innings. He has 16 quality starts, defined as giving up three runs or fewer in six innings or more.

Penny said in spring training he had numbness in the forearm and doctors told him it might never go away. In his last start Friday in San Francisco, he had trouble getting loose in the first inning because of shoulder tightness. His reaction then and Wednesday told Manager Jim Tracy the biceps nerve wasn’t giving him pain.

“He didn’t respond in any way, shape or form the way he did a year ago,” Tracy said.

Although four Dodger relievers pitched reasonably well on short notice, they were no match for right-hander Brandon Webb (13-11), who struck out 11 in 7 2/3 innings.

Webb had trouble only with leadoff batter Willy Aybar, who had four hits, and Hee-Seop Choi, who hit a two-run home run in the third inning. It was Choi’s 15th homer, but his first since Aug. 2 and second since a mid-June spree in which he hit seven in four games.

Second baseman Jeff Kent was a late scratch because of a stiff back, and who could be surprised? He has carried the team on it for more than five months.

“Bending over is difficult, ground balls are tough,” Kent said. “I’ve never had back problems. It’s been stiff since Saturday. I think it was the bed in San Francisco more than anything.”

The Dodgers (67-84) seemed half asleep most of the game, hitting into four double plays in losing their fifth in a row to fall deeper into fourth place in the National League West.

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Many scouts consider Russell Martin a better catching prospect than impressive rookie Dioner Navarro. But despite being on the 40-man roster, Martin was not called up from double-A after Jacksonville won the Southern League title a few days ago.

“He wouldn’t have played,” General Manager Paul DePodesta said. “There wasn’t any point.”

Because Navarro has taken hold of the starting job, there is no reason to rush Martin. He is expected to play at triple-A Las Vegas next season, and Navarro’s backup could be Jason Phillips, Paul Bako or Mike Rose.

Phillips, who lost the starting job July 29 because of throwing problems, will be eligible for arbitration. If it doesn’t appear he will be given a chance to win back his job, he might be traded or not offered arbitration, which would make him a free agent.

The Dodgers might be interested in re-signing Bako, who was Phillips’ backup until injuring a knee May 27. Rose, a 29-year-old rookie, is a seldom-used backup.

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Reliever Yhency Brazoban pitched a scoreless eighth and became one of six pitchers to make 100 appearances over two seasons as a rookie.... Navarro will remain at home with his ill newborn son until Friday.... Odalis Perez threw in the bullpen and could be activated from the disabled list to start Saturday.... Lon Rosen, fired April 1 as the Dodger marketing vice president, has been hired by William Morris Agency as a vice president and agent in its sports marketing division.