The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed 37-year old righty swinging 3B Casey Blake on the 15-day disabled list due to the surgery he had today on his infected left elbow. Blake has played in 14 games for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 17 of 53 (.321 avg, .956 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 6 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Blake’s injury likely means that 34-year old switch-hitting Aaron Miles will continue to start (likely at 2B) with Juan Uribe shifting to 3B when he feels better. Miles has played in 22 games for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 14 of 58 (.241 avg, .572 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 0 homers and 4 RBIs. The Dodgers have called up 26-year old righty swinging 3B Russell Mitchell. Mitchell played in 17 games in AAA-ball this season and he is 12 for 56 (.214 avg, .674 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers and 12 RBIs. Mitchell made his major league debut last season for the Dodgers and it didn’t go too well. Mitchell played in 15 games for the Dodgers last year and he was 6 for 42 (.143 avg, .425 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 2 homers and 4 RBIs. The Dodgers hope Mitchell will be better this time around.

Righty swinging 2B Steve Sax burst onto the scene for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1982. He played in 150 games in 1982 for the Dodgers and he was 180 of 638 (.282 avg, .694 OPS) with 88 runs scored, 4 homers, 47 RBIs and 49 stolen bases. Sax won the Rookie of the Year Award in the National League in 1982 and he also made the All-Star team. But, Sax’ best season with the Dodgers came in 1986. He played in 157 games for the Dodgers in 1986 and he was 210 of 633 (.332 avg, .830 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 6 homers, 56 RBIs and 40 stolen bases. Sax played 8 years for the Dodgers and he made it to 3 All-Star teams. Sax played in 1,091 games for the Dodgers in his career and he was 1,218 of 4,312 (.282 avg, .696 OPS) with 574 runs scored, 30 homers, 333 RBIs and 290 stolen bases. Sax is still #5 in Dodgers’ history in steals with 290.

28-year old lefty swinging RF Andre Ethier of the Dodgers has set a new major league record as he got a hit in his 23rd consecutive game in April. Ethier broke ex-Dodgers manager Joe Torre’s record of a 22-game April hitting streak with the 1971 St. Louis Cardinals. Ethier has now played in 25 games for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 36 for 95 (.379 avg, .991 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 2 homers and 14 RBIs. Ethier is a big key to the Dodgers having success in 2011, so it’s good to see him off to such a hot start.

Veteran righty relievers Matt Guerrier and Mike MacDougal are off to outstanding starts for the Dodgers this year. The Dodgers expected Guerrier to be one of the better relievers on the team and he’s living up to expectations so far this year. Guerrier has pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP. Mike MacDougal was a longshot to make the Dodgers’ pitching staff when he reported to spring training. He not only made the team, but he has been very effective so far this year for the Dodgers. MacDougal has pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 1.23 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Guerrier and MacDougal have combined to only give up 9 hits in their first 16 innings as they have been pretty unhittable. If these guys keep pitching like the way they are right now, they will both be pitching later in ballgames.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have designated 26-year old lefty swinging outfielder Xavier Paul for assignment. Paul played in 7 games for the Dodgers this year and he was 3 for 11 (.273 avg, .545 OPS). He has played in 62 games in parts of three years for the Dodgers and he is 34 of 146 (.233 avg, .609 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 1 homer, 12 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Dodgers have called up 23-year old righty swinging outfielder Jerry Sands to replace Paul on the active roster. Sands came into this season as the Dodgers’ #6 prospect according to Baseball America. Sands has played in 10 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 16 for 40 (.400 avg, 1.297 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 5 homers and 17 RBIs. He has now played in 266 games in his first four years in the minors and he is 281 of 955 (.294 avg, .974 OPS) with 206 runs scored, 69 homers, 201 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. The Dodgers will likely stick Sands right into the starting lineup to see what he’s capable of.

UPDATE: (4/26/2011) - The Dodgers have lost Xavier Paul to the Pirates who claimed him off waivers.