Jackson gets L.A. promotion; Nomo headed to LV for rehab

Nick Christensen

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 | 10:48 a.m.

Edwin Jackson has been called up from the 51s to start Wednesday's game for the Los Angeles Dodgers in place of Wilson Alvarez, whose hip and foot injuries have forced him out of the rotation.

In return, Las Vegas will likely get Dodgers ace Hideo Nomo, who is nursing an injured fingernail. Manager Terry Kennedy said that there's an "80-20 chance" that Nomo will start Thursday at Cashman Field against the Edmonton Trappers.

Nomo's would be the highest profile rehabilitation assignment for the 51s since Kevin Brown played three games in a Las Vegas uniform in 2002.

Initially, Kennedy said he didn't know anything about a potential start by Nomo. He switched gears after receiving a phone call from the L.A. that raised his expectations of Nomo's arrival.

It was unclear how long Nomo would be with the 51s, or how long Jackson will stay with the Dodgers.

Also over the weekend, 51s pitcher Rodney Myers was called up to the Dodgers, and second baseman Joe Thurston was sent back to Las Vegas. To make up for the shortage of pitching, the team acquired pitcher Roy Smith from the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League. The weekend moves pushed the team's tally of May transactions to 21.

Smith pitched four innings, allowing five hits and three runs with three strikeouts, in Las Vegas' 11-9 win against the Tacoma Rainiers Monday at Cashman Field.

Jackson, 20, was rated by Baseball America as the Dodgers' top prospect. He impressed many after going 2-1 in his first three major league starts last September, and started spring training in anticipation that he'd be the Dodgers' fifth starter. But he struggled through March, and was sent to Triple-A to work on his game.

With Las Vegas, Jackson went 5-2 in 10 starts, with a 5.13 ERA and a .281 opponent batting average. Jackson also had five hits, including three RBIs and a home run, in 13 plate appearances.

"I definitely had a chance to work on a lot of things," Jackson said of his start in Las Vegas. "It's all about consistency; if I can stay around the strike zone, I can get away with having some bad pitches rather than throwing balls."

Jackson said he did not know what future he had with Los Angeles after Wednesday. But it doesn't appear as though Jackson will have a long stay in Los Angeles. According to a report on mlb.com, Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said that how long Jackson stays in the rotation will be determined by Nomo's performance on Thursday. The report said that Tracy does not want to put Jackson in the bullpen, and that Alvarez has asked to go to the bullpen when he returns from his injury.

Regardless of Jackson's future, Kennedy said he'd like to see the young pitcher get some more action in the minor leagues.

"He's pretty close (to being ready). His command of his slider is a small concern, but I think it's as good as it's going to be," he said.