Billingsley Out Awhile

The Dodgers’ best starting pitcher in August is a huge question mark for September.

On the day after the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox failed to agree on a trade for David Wells, the Dodgers revealed that Chad Billingsley strained his left oblique muscle in his last start. Trainer Stan Johnston said the recovery time for such an injury is typically measured in weeks.

“At least two, usually,” Johnston said.

Brett Tomko sat out five weeks this season with the same injury, but Johnston said Billingsley’s strain is not as severe. Aaron Sele will start in Billingsley’s place Sunday, followed by Greg Maddux on Monday and Mark Hendrickson on Tuesday. After that, the Dodgers have the option to juggle Hendrickson, Sele and Hong-Chih Kuo in one or two spots, depending upon Billingsley’s rehabilitation.

“Maybe he’ll just miss one start,” Manager Grady Little said. “Maybe not.”

General Manager Ned Colletti said Billingsley’s injury was not the only reason he engaged in his trade talks. Colletti wouldn’t discuss specific trade proposals or targets.

The Red Sox are believed to have asked for Matt Kemp, James Loney, Andy LaRoche or Scott Elbert and have spurned offers of other prospects, even in packages.

Billingsley said he felt tightness when he played catch Friday. He said he suffered the strain in the third inning of Sunday’s game, although he pitched seven innings.

“It felt like a cramp, a big old knot,” he said. “It didn’t feel like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t throw.’ ”

He went 3-0 with a 1.50 earned-run average in August. The rookie has pitched a career-high 151 innings this season, but Johnston said “it’s hard to say” whether fatigue might have contributed to the injury.

“I don’t know if it’s from innings or something that just happened,” Billingsley said. “My arm feels great. It was just an accident, I guess.”

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After the Dodgers took their annual team photo Friday, Julio Lugo put his arm around Maddux and asked him to smile. Lugo plans to display the picture in his home in the Dominican Republic.

“I’ll have a future Hall of Famer on my wall,” Lugo said.

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Little on Kemp and Loney, recalled Friday as rosters expanded: “They’ll be getting their share of starts from here on out.” ... Pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson found out the Washington Nationals had traded him to the Dodgers at 11:45 p.m. Thursday, he cleared out his RFK Stadium locker at 6:30 a.m. Friday and caught a flight to L.A. “It’s very good to go from last place to first place,” he said.

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bill.shaikin@latimes.com