Penny rocks Sox

Nick Christensen

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 | 10:39 a.m.

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He called it an abbreviated spring training appearance, but Brad Penny looked Monday like a pitcher ready for the big leagues.

Penny, who suffered a nerve injury in his biceps last August, pitched six solid innings Monday in the Las Vegas 51s' 9-5 victory against Colorado Springs at Cashman Field.

In only his second game since the injury, Penny threw 59 of his 79 pitches for strikes. He gave up five hits, including a monster two-run home run by Andy Tracy.

But he struck out nine Sky Sox, including the first two batters he faced on seven pitches.

"I thought he was terrific," Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said. "I was almost looking at it like a spring training start to some degree. Obviously his velocity's fine and his command's very sharp. He went about it very easily."

Penny agreed that Monday's start, before an announced crowd of 2,555, was more about warming up mentally than testing himself physically.

"It's a lot better," Penny said. "I just think probably better competition ... I shouldn't say I feel a lot better. I just had more adrenaline."

Penny's last rehab start, last Wednesday at Class A Vero Beach, was just as effective but less flashy, with three strikeouts and two hits on 72 pitches.

"I felt like I could have gone deeper. I don't want to go out there and run into the same problem I did," Penny said. "I probably could have thrown 100 tonight. I didn't feel any fatigure or anything ... did my velocity drop?"

Nope. His pitches regularly registered over 94 mph on the stadium's automated radar gun, and at least twice he hit 97 mph.

Despite the impressive performance, there was no definitive answer from DePodesta as to when Penny would be called up.

"We'll have to see," he said. "We kept waiting for this start to see how it was going to go and make a decision from there. It'll sure be a hot topic over the next day or two. We want to see how bad he feels tomorrow.

"He may be the first pitcher ever who's begging to pitch in Coors Field."

The Dodgers, 10-2 after Monday's win in Milwaukee, will be at Colorado for a three-game series beginning Friday. Penny might start Sunday.

Penny said he probably could use another start at Triple-A, but left no doubt about where he wants to be.

"I needed this because I didn't have a spring training. This is my second actual game," he said. "Some of my best times were in the minor leagues, but those times have passed."

The 51s may have gotten the win thanks to major league help, but tonight, they'll be on the other side of the card. Los Angeles Angels starter Kelvim Escobar will pitch around 80 pitches for Salt Lake, which opens a four-game series at Cashman Field.

Escobar is recovering from an elbow sprain.

"I thought it was a great experience for Colorado Springs to play someone like that ... if you can get that opportunity in this league, that's what makes it really good," 51s manager Jerry Royster said. "For us, to face a guy like Escobar, guys ought to be able to get a feel for what it's like to face a guy. If he's as good-to-go as Brad Penny is, then it'll really be a true test."