Lowe misses start with a hurt hand

The season that Derek Lowe felt was long grew even longer Wednesday, his start pushed back by a contusion in his pitching hand.

Lowe was hurt playing catch with Jonathan Broxton during pregame warmups Tuesday, as a ball missed his glove and struck his right hand between his thumb and forefinger. He said his hand was swollen and that he had trouble gripping a baseball.

X-rays were negative and Manager Grady Little said Lowe was “day to day.”

Lowe is tentatively scheduled to start Saturday in the second game of the Dodgers’ three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lowe’s turn Wednesday was taken by Chad Billingsley, whose spot today will be filled by David Wells. Because the Dodgers didn’t play Monday, Billingsley and Wells received a normal four days’ rest.

“It caps off the year for me so far,” said Lowe, who has also battled hip problems in the second half of the season.

Lowe was 8-8 with a 3.12 earned-run average before the All-Star break, but is 3-4 with a 5.37 ERA since.

Lowe said he didn’t foresee any problems making his next start.

Little said he probably had a player hurt playing catch, but Lowe’s incident was “maybe the most untimely one I’ve seen.”

When Lowe was asked if he would start warming up with someone who didn’t throw as hard as Broxton, he replied, “I think they need to get me a red jersey like in the NFL and have somebody catch the ball for me.”

The Dodgers haven’t lined up a flagship station for next season. KFWB 980’s five-year contract with the team expires at the end of the season and a source within the station said an offer on a new deal has been taken off the table.

The offer, the source said, was less than the $7 million a year the station is paying for rights. KFWB General Manager Patrick Duffy declined to comment.

Another source said KABC 790 is in line to be the new flagship, but John Davison, KABC’s general manager, and a Dodgers spokesman had no comment.

The Dodgers will have a float at the 2008 Rose Parade and get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of a yearlong 50th anniversary celebration of the club’s move to Los Angeles.

In each month of the 2008 season, the Dodgers will highlight a decade of their history in L.A. There will be a reunion of past players in September. The Dodgers will pay tribute to their 1988 World Series championship team in July and recognize their rivalry with San Francisco in each of their homestands against the Giants.

Fans can vote for the top 50 moments in L.A. Dodgers history and an all-time L.A. team at www.dodgers.com/anniversary.

Hong-Chih Kuo will not pitch competitively again this season, trainer Stan Conte said. Kuo underwent elbow surgery in July. . . . Infield prospect Ivan De Jesus, who hit .287 at Class-A Inland Valley, underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb last week. . . . Third baseman Andy LaRoche complained of back pain after batting practice Tuesday but was available to pinch hit.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

larry.stewart@latimes.com