Dodgers’ Hong-Chih Kuo added to NL All-Star roster
Hong-Chih Kuo said that when he answered his phone Sunday morning and heard Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti’s voice on the other line, he didn’t know what to think.
“Why did Ned call me?” Kuo said he recalled thinking. “I thought it was a bad thing.”
The news was anything but bad.
The left-handed setup man was told he had earned a place on the National League All-Star team, replacing sidelined Atlanta Braves rookie outfielder Jason Heyward. Braves closer Billy Wagner was initially offered Heyward’s spot by NL Manager Charlie Manuel but declined because he wanted to rest a sore ankle.
“It’s a surprise,” Kuo said. “I never thought about it. It’s a new experience.”
Kuo, who turns 29 on July 23, is the first player from Taiwan to be selected to an All-Star team.
Kuo will be one of four Dodgers at the All-Star game in Anaheim on Tuesday, joining outfielder Andre Ethier, closer Jonathan Broxton and shortstop Rafael Furcal. Like Kuo, Furcal made the team as a replacement, taking the place of injured New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes.
Through Saturday, Kuo was 3-1 with a 1.03 earned-run average. He had 36 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings.
Kuo has dominated left-handed hitters, who are 0 for 30 with 16 strikeouts against him.
The road to the All-Star game was a long one for Kuo, who has overcome four elbow operations. Last season, he lost the ability to throw anything anywhere near the strike zone, the problem becoming so severe that while warming up in the bullpen during one game in May, he sailed balls into the infield. Veteran catcher Brad Ausmus said he had never seen anyone recover from that type of loss of control.
Ely demoted
Manager Joe Torre said Saturday afternoon that John Ely was still the Dodgers’ fifth starter. By the next day, Ely no longer was.
Ely, 1-5 with a 7.49 ERA over his last seven starts, was optioned to triple-A Albuquerque. He was replaced on the roster by right-handed reliever Jon Link, who was called up from Albuquerque.
Torre said the decision to send Ely to the minors was made after a conversation with Colletti.
James McDonald, who is at Albuquerque, could be next in line to audition for the final rotation spot, Torre said. McDonald recently returned from a hamstring injury.
Posting a 19.80 ERA and pitching a combined five innings over his last two starts, Ely said he understood why the move was made.
“Two in a row, that’s not acceptable, obviously,” he said.
Medical staff proud
Furcal and Kuo’s selections to the All-Star game were particularly meaningful to the Dodgers’ medical staff, which helped Furcal recover from back surgery two years ago and Kuo from his operations.
Furcal and Kuo continue to receive daily treatment, with Kuo showing up to the ballpark on days of night games at 12:30 p.m. to begin his therapy sessions.
“For a medical department, it’s always nice to get guys back on the field,” trainer Stan Conte said. “It’s always a bonus when they do well. But one thing a medical staff should never do is take credit for a player’s performance. They’ve worked their whole lives for this.”
Ramirez update
Outfielder Manny Ramirez started a three-game minor league rehabilitation assignment with Class-A Inland Empire and was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts as the designated hitter.
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