MLB

• Kuroda set to return for Dodgers' latest tilt with Astros

  
  

  (Sports Network) - Few teams have suffered more injuries this season than the Los Angeles Dodgers.

  The club gets one player back tonight, with more coming on the horizon, when it resumes a four-game series with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

  Expected to be contenders in the National League West this year after adding Joe Torre as manager, the Dodgers instead have watched player after player land on the disabled list. The latest was outfielder Juan Pierre (left MCL) on Monday, and he joins a list that includes Brad Penny (right shoulder), Andruw Jones (right knee), Rafael Furcal (back), Nomar Garciaparra (left calf) and Jason Schmidt (right shoulder).

  That list also includes starter Hiroki Kuroda, but he is expected to make the start tonight after being sidelined with right shoulder tendinitis.

  Also, Furcal, Garciaparra and Jones all began rehab stints with Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday with mixed news.

  While Garciaparra hopes to return this weekend against the Giants and Jones is also progressing well from his injury, Furcal was forced to head back to Los Angeles yesterday to be re-examined after experiencing discomfort in his back.

  Los Angeles hopes Kuroda doesn't suffer a similar setback when he toes the rubber tonight. The 33-year-old Japanese import hasn't pitched since June 12, when he lasted just 2 1/3 innings against the Padres and allowed six runs on five hits and four walks.

  Kuroda is 3-6 with a 4.04 earned run average in 14 starts this year, but just 1-6 in eight road outings. He faced Houston for the first time on May 11 and gave up only one run over 6 2/3 innings, but got a no-decision after the Dodgers bullpen allowed seven runs in an eventual 8-5 loss.

  It was thought that Chan Ho Park, who had gone 1-1 in two starts since Kuroda's injury, would be on standby to spell Kuroda if he ran into trouble. However, Park ended up being the winning pitcher in Tuesday's 7-6, 11-inning victory that evened this series at one game apiece.

  Jeff Kent powered the Dodgers to the win with a solo homer in the top of the 11th off Wesley Wright (3-3), while Russell Martin had three hits, including a two-run homer, and three RBI. James Loney added two hits and a run batted in for Los Angeles, which snapped a two-game slide and moved to within 2 1/2 games of first-place Arizona in the NL West despite being five games under .500 (39-44).

  Carlos Lee went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI in yesterday's loss for Houston, and is batting .500 (9-for-18) with a homer and five RBI since returning to the cleanup spot on Saturday.

  Ty Wigginton added a three-run homer for the Astros, who had a three-game win streak halted and fell to 5-3 on a 10- game homestand.

  Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez was touched for five runs in five innings, marking just the third time in the last 15 games a Houston starter allowed more than three runs in an game.

  That run includes an outing by tonight's starter, Runelvys Hernandez, who made his season debut on Friday. The right-hander gave up three runs on five hits over five innings, taking the loss in his first major-league action since September 29, 2006 while with Kansas City.

  He is taking the place of the released Shawn Chacon, who was suspended by the Astros last Wednesday after getting into a physical altercation with general manager Ed Wade and placed on waivers the following day.

  Hernandez, who pitched with three different Triple-A clubs last year, has made just one career start versus the Dodgers, defeating them on June 14, 2005 after going six innings and allowing two runs on eight hits.

  The Astros swept a three-game set from the Dodgers in Los Angeles from May 9-11 and have won eight of the last 11 meetings between the teams. Los Angeles is just 3-8 at Minute Maid Park since 2005.

  07/02 11:14:39 ET