SAN FRANCISCO – The Dodgers figured Tuesday night was a good target date for Andre Ethier's return to the starting lineup. Turns out they were premature.
Ethier, who hasn't started a game since Sept. 13 because of a sore left ankle, had difficulty running the bases in a pregame workout and wasn't in the lineup for the Dodgers' series opener against the San Francisco Giants.
"(It) felt all right," Ethier said. "Felt like we're making good progress in the right direction. I’m just still trying to work through it and get where we need to be."
Ethier pinch hit Sunday in San Diego and said he came out of it fine, but running the bases – which is how he got hurt initially – is continuing to give him problems.
Manager Don Mattingly said Ethier looked fine in his workout, at least defensively and hitting, but “when we got to the bases, it wasn't as good as we’d like. So we’re going to hold off on him until we get where we need to be."
Tuesday was supposed to be the day, but now it's looking like Ethier may not play until the Dodgers return home Friday for their final three regular-season games against the Colorado Rockies.
Ethier's frustration over his situation appeared to show when he was asked about the expectation he would play Tuesday. Mattingly had told reporters in San Diego it was possible he might start.
"Possibility is possible," Ethier said. "Saying I'm starting is saying I'm starting. I'm just trying to clarify. There's endless possibilities of things. If it's a definite I'm starting, it's definite. There was never a definite I'm starting. There was just a possibility I was starting.
"We're just trying to get better, at least close to where I can go out there to perform and help this team win on a daily basis."
