LOS ANGELES — One day after implying that the Dodgers had told him to keep playing through a knee injury that had altered the mechanics of his swing, right fielder Andre Ethier backtracked from those comments.
“It’s always been my choice to keep playing and keep going,” Ethier said Sunday before the Dodgers played the Rockies at Dodger Stadium. “They’ve never said, ‘We don’t think you can or you can’t play.’ It’s always been they’ve said, ‘Hey, you’ve obviously put up with this and it’s at your discretion.’ “
Ethier told a Los Angeles Times columnist on Saturday that he had informed the Dodgers that his injury had affected his swing.
“They know,” Ethier, who has hit .224 with seven runs batted in since the all-star break, said Saturday. “But they’ve told me, ‘Grin and bear it.’ “
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly on Sunday described himself as “blindsided” by Ethier’s remarks, which caused a clamor throughout the clubhouse and resulted in a 15-minute closed- door meeting with Mattingly and general manager Ned Colletti.
Surgery set for Indians’ Brantley
CLEVELAND — Indians outfielder Michael Brantley will have surgery to remove part of the hamate bone in his right hand and will miss the rest of the season.
Brantley played with tendinitis in his wrist for several weeks, but the soreness subsided with treatment and rest.
However, he recently felt pain in his hand and was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday. Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff said tests revealed the fractured bone and that the normal recovery process takes six to nine weeks.
Sanchez’s season in doubt
SAN FRANCISCO — Giants left-hander Jonathan Sanchez might be done for the season with a left ankle sprain that isn’t improving.
Manager Bruce Bochy said Sanchez hasn’t made progress, more disturbing injury news for the reigning World Series champs. Sanchez was the team’s most reliable starter down the stretch in 2010, and the winning pitcher on the season’s final day when the club clinched its first playoff berth since 2003.
Footnotes.
The Twins recalled catcher Rene Rivera from Triple-A Rochester for extra backup while Joe Mauer is recovering from a stiff neck and sent down utility infielder Matt Tolbert.
• A male fan was knocked unconscious after falling 21 feet in a stairwell while leaving Rangers Ballpark on Saturday night.
• Houston slugger Carlos Lee left the game against San Francisco after spraining his right ankle on a hard slide into second base on a double.
• Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols did not play against the Pirates, with manager Tony La Russa saying he felt the slugger needed a day off.
Denver Post wire services
