Rookie Pitchers to Be Put on Call

Manager Grady Little’s all-hands-on-deck approach to the last week of the season will include putting unusual demands on rookie pitchers Chad Billingsley and Hong-Chih Kuo.

Both will be available out of the bullpen at various times during the three-game series beginning Tuesday at Colorado. And one will make a crucial start Friday to open the regular-season-ending series at San Francisco.

If Billingsley is used in relief Tuesday, he probably would start against the Giants three days later. If Little finds it necessary Wednesday or Thursday to use Billingsley, Kuo would make the start.

“We’ll take each day and try to win the game that day,” Little said. “As the week unfolds, things will become clearer.”

There is no doubt that as long as a playoff spot is at stake, Greg Maddux and Derek Lowe will start on three days of rest Saturday and Sunday against the Giants in the last two games.

Also, Brad Penny would be available in relief over the weekend after making his last start Thursday against the Rockies.

The reason for the shuffling is that the Dodgers are uneasy about using their wobbly middle relievers and are prepared to send Billingsley, Kuo or Penny to pitch a crucial sixth or seventh inning.

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It’s a delicate topic necessitated by the delicate oblique muscle in Jeff Kent’s left side.

Would Little insert a defensive replacement for the veteran second baseman in the late innings of a game the Dodgers are leading?

“Yes, there have been [discussions] about it,” Little said.

Kent, 38, couldn’t get to a ground ball in the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory Friday night, just the latest example of how the injury cuts his already diminished range.

“We got eight innings of shutout ball with sinker pitchers and Kent in there, so I didn’t want to change it,” Little said.

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General Manager Ned Colletti spoke to Andre Ethier and assured him he was in the team’s plans for 2007, something the rookie outfielder questioned a day earlier. Ethier said Colletti also reminded him to stay focused on 2006.

“I was just thinking out loud and speculating,” Ethier said. “I just want to help us win.”

Ethier is three for his last 33 after flying out as a pinch-hitter Saturday, dropping his average to .311.

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Top third base prospect Andy LaRoche, who has yet to make his major league debut, might need shoulder surgery for a torn labrum.... Shortstop Rafael Furcal was given the inaugural Roy Campanella Award by a vote of the team. The award is given to the player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher.... Infielder Ramon Martinez won’t return to the Dodgers from Puerto Rico until Tuesday at the earliest because there have been complications with his newborn son. . . . First baseman James Loney and right-handed pitcher Mark Alexander were selected Dodgers minor league player and pitcher of the year.

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steve.henson@latimes.com