truebluefan

In a tacit acknowledgement that injuries and inconsistency have conspired to make a wreck of their starting rotation, the Dodgers finally acquired a proven pitcher Tuesday, getting left- hander Mark Hendrickson from Tampa Bay, along with catcher Toby Hall and $1 million, for struggling right-hander Jae Seo, Triple-A Las Vegas catcher Dioner Navarro and a minor-leaguer to be named later.

Hendrickson and Hall are expected to join the Dodgers on Friday, when they begin a three-game series at Angel Stadium.

Hendrickson is scheduled to start Saturday against the Angels, with Brad Penny moving up to Friday and Aaron Sele being pushed to sometime next week.

Hall, who was the Devil Rays' primary catcher, will become the Dodgers' main backup behind rookie Russell Martin.

Veteran Sandy Alomar will be relegated primarily to pinch-hitting duties, something the Dodgers can afford to do now that they are carrying three catchers for the first time this season.

Hendrickson brings a career mark of 37-40 with a 5.01 ERA, but he has pitched well in his past five starts despite a lack of run support. Much of those starts has come with Dodgers scouts Bill Lajoie, Mark Weidemaier and Vance Lovelace watching intently.

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