May 29th, 2012 at 12:05 am 
by Ron Cervenka The Dodgers have placed left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to May 24) with left shoulder inflammation and recalled left-hander Michael Antonini to fill Lilly’s roster spot as a possible long reliever for Monday evening’s game, but he was not needed. The Dodgers then (apparently) sent Antonini back to Triple-A Albuquerque and immediately called up Nathan Eovaldi from Double-A Chattanooga to replace Antonini on the roster and Eovaldi will start Tuesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Lilly’s place. Why the Dodgers went to all of this trouble remains a mystery, but I suspect that there may be more to it than the Dodgers are revealing to the media (the name Todd Coffey comes to mind).
Nathan Eovaldi signs an autograph for a young fan during spring training. Eovaldi had an outstanding spring but there wasn't room for him in the Dodgers starting rotation. He began the 2012 season at Double-A Chattanooga.
Lilly noticed discomfort in his shoulder after his May 23 start against the D-Backs. “I felt it then, but it wasn’t too bad,” said Lilly. “When I felt it the most was when I actually came out of the game and the adrenaline wore off. That was when I knew something was wrong with it. We had an off-day the next day, and it was bothering me then, so I’m going to take a little bit of time out, and hopefully, it will get better.”
Eovaldi, who finished the 2011 season in the Dodger rotation and went 1-2 with an ERA of 3.63 in his six starts, had an outstanding spring training, however he began the 2012 season at Double-A Chattanooga. In his eight starts with the Lookouts this season Eovaldi is 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 35 innings of work. He has struck out 30 while walking 13. Tuesday night’s start against the Milwaukee Brewers will be Eovaldi’s first major league start of the 2012 season. Eovaldi is expected to remain in the Dodger rotation until Lilly’s return, which could be as early as June 8, when he is eligible to come off the DL. Lilly believes that his injury is not serious and hopes to be throwing again by the end of the week.
Posted in 
I hope that’s true that Lilly can come back as soon as the 15 days are up, but with him and at his age I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he won’t need more time to recover. Eovaldi is our insurance policy, let’s see what he’s got.
In regards to Lilly, with the exception of his last start he has been really outstanding in my opinion and now that I know the cause, I think it will be good for all concerned that he heals fast and returns to the starting staff.
That said, I’m happy to see Eovaldi get more major league experience.