Starting catcher Russell Martin will miss the next 4-6 weeks due to a groin injury. The Dodgers will go with 28-year old righty swinging A.J. Ellis as the starting catcher until Martin is ready to return to action. Ellis played in 8 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 1 for 10 (.100 avg, .200 OPS) with 1 RBI. He was good in AAA last season playing in 90 games in which he was 89 of 283 (.314 avg, .813 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 0 homers and 39 RBIs. Brad Ausmus will serve as Ellis’ backup until Martin is ready to return then he will back him up. Losing Martin will hurt the Dodgers as he is a good all around player.

The Dodgers have dropped righty reliever Jeff Weaver from the National League Championship Series roster and they have replaced him with 24-year old lefty reliever Scott Elbert. Weaver didn’t deserve to get bumped as he won his only appearance against the Cardinals working 1 1/3 shutout innings. But the Dodgers likely felt the need to have an extra lefty reliever against the Phillies who have a lot of thump from that side of the plate. Elbert pitched in 19 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers this season and he was 2-0 with a 5.03 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.

UPDATE: Weaver has a bad case of the flu and that was the reason he was left off of the roster for the Phillies’ series.

The Dodgers will be without 34-year old righty starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda for the first round of the playoffs due to a herniated disc in his neck. Kuroda has pitched in 21 games (20 starts) for the Dodgers this season and he was 8-7 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. The Dodgers have a lot of depth in the starting rotation so that will lessen the blow of losing Kuroda. Chad Billingsley or Vicente Padilla will be the #4 starter in the first round of the playoffs if one is needed. Billingsley has pitched in 33 games (32 starts) for the Dodgers this season and he is 12-11 with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Billingsley is a important part of the Dodgers’ future so that could give him an edge in this decision. But, Vicente Padilla has pitched better than Billingsley since coming over from Texas after they released him. Padilla has pitched in 7 games (6 starts) for the Dodgers this season and he is 3-0 with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. It will be interesting to see which pitcher Joe Torre goes with.

Veteran lefty starting pitcher Eric Milton will miss the rest of the 2009 season due to back surgery. This is a shame as Milton worked his way back to the majors after many injuries earning a spot in the Dodgers’ rotation. Now he will be back to the drawing board. Milton pitched in 5 games (all starts) for the Dodgers this year and he was 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP.

The Dodgers have placed 33-year old lefty starting pitcher Eric Milton on the 15-day disabled list with a case of back tightness. Milton pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Dodgers so far this season and he was 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. The Dodgers have recalled 23-year old lefty swinging infielder Blake DeWitt to replace Milton on the active roster. DeWitt has played in 38 games in AAA-ball this season and he is 39 for 146 (.267 avg, .826 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 2 homers and 18 RBIs. DeWitt also played in 12 games earlier this season for the Dodgers in which he was 3 for 19 (.158 avg, .396 OPS) with 1 run scored.