McDonald not going to get called up?

[BuckFoston]

The Dodgers continue to search for help in shoring up their starting rotation but one possible option -- touted minor leaguer James McDonald -- has been dismissed for the time being.

"It's not going to happen," Manager Grady Little said Wednesday when asked if McDonald, a Long Beach native, could replace veteran Brett Tomko, who has won once since May 9. "If he was ready, he'd already be here."

General Manager Ned Colletti has seen McDonald pitch four times this season, including Tuesday, when the right-hander struck out seven in five innings for double-A Jacksonville, leaving him with a 12-9 record, a 3.15 earned-run average and 159 strikeouts in 125 2/3 innings between Jacksonville and Class-A Inland Empire.

But McDonald, a converted outfielder, has lost nearly 5 mph off his fastball recently and the Dodgers are concerned about fatigue. A better option for the time being could be right-hander D.J. Houlton, who pitched 10 games in relief for the Dodgers before being returned to triple-A Las Vegas earlier this month to get in more work.

Another possibility is veteran left-hander David Wells, who was released by San Diego earlier this month. Wells, 44, gave up 26 runs in his final 16 2/3 innings with the Padres but turned in quality starts in four of his five outings before that.

"Nothing's imminent. Nothing's close," said Gregg Clifton, Wells' agent, who nevertheless said he hoped to have a contract agreement in place by late today. "We're talking to a lot of teams. Our phones have been kind of ringing off the hook to be honest with you."

A drawback to signing Wells, however, is the fact that he still must serve a seven-game suspension levied against him in July. That suspension is still being appealed and Wells could pitch until the appeal is heard.

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I'm kind of disapointed this kid won't get called up, I was hoping to see what he had. Now I don't think the Dodgers should try to pick up Wells, hes old,fat, and washed up this would be a bad investment for the Dodgers so I say still bring up McDonald!

[realmofotalk]

James McDonald gets called up, finally. More importantly, since he's on the 40-man roster, he won't be included in the Greg Maddux deal. So, no, you can't have "J. McDonald".