Before their game tonight with the Florida Marlins, the opener of a six-game homestand for the Dodgers, L.A. has activated third baseman Casey Blake from the disabled list. Russ Mitchell was optioned to make room on the roster for Blake. Blake is in tonight's lineup, batting second:
Furcal SS
Blake 3B
Ethier RF
Kemp CF
Gibbons LF
Loney 1B
Barajas C
Carroll 2B
Garland P
Blake was placed on the disabled list on April 29 with an infected left elbow, retroactive to April 25. After elbow surgery last month, he missed 28 games in what was his second DL trip of the year. Blake also began the season on the disabled list with a back injury, missing the first five games of the year. He was off to a hot start, hitting .321/.446/.509 in 14 games, all out of the second spot in the batting order. The Dodgers are 7-7 with Blake in the lineup this season, and 15-22 in games he missed. In four rehab games this week with the Triple A Albuqerque Isotopes, Blake had two hits in 14 at-bats, with a double, two walks, and eight strikeouts.
Mitchell is just 3-for-26 this season, hitting .115/.258/.269, though he did hit a game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning last Friday in Chicago against the White Sox.
Tonight's 7:10 p.m. PDT game will be televised by Prime Ticket. For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on tonight's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.