Injury Update: LaRoche Out 8-10 Weeks

Bad stuff. Injury updates from Diamond:

Dodgers' LaRoche out 8-10 weeks

Third baseman Andy LaRoche will miss 8-10 weeks with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. He'll undergo surgery back in Los Angeles. Developing...

Dodgers: Nomar in the clear

An x-ray examination on Nomar Garciaparra's right wrist came back negative. He was hit by a pitch in the game.

Dodgers will send Schmidt to the DL

Joe Torre has finally conceded that Jason Schmidt will open the season on the disabled list. "I don't think it's any secret Schmidt not going to be ready for opening day," he said, adding that the right-hander would need to go on a rehabilitation assignment. Schmidt made 70 throws yesterday but it was off flat ground and he hasn't returned to the mound since this latest bit of fatigue. Esteban Loaiza should be considered the favorite to take the fifth spot. Hong-Chih Kuo will pitch tomorrow, and Jason Johnson and Chan Ho Park have performed well. The wild card could be Clayton Kershaw, who will get a start. Torre said in the past only an injury would necessitate Kershaw getting the call-up, but that was before Kershaw impressed in his debut in a big league uniform.

From Tony Jackson:

LaRoche to miss eight to 10 weeks

He has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb and will need surgery, which Ned said will take place in the next couple of days, probably in Los Angeles. No word yet on how this will affect the roster makeup, other than it pretty much guarantees Nomar will begin the season as the everyday 3B. As for a backup, could be any number of guys: Tony Abreu or Ramon Martinez, both of whom have extensive experience at the position, or Delwyn Young or Chin-lung Hu, neither of whom has ever played there but have good enough hands that they likely could adjust quickly. At any rate, this is devastating news for LaRoche, a really good guy who has had his share of bad breaks and injury issues during his career.

Good news on Nomar

X-rays were negative, which I assume means he is day to day.