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Dodgers rolling despite multiple injuries

Dodgers rolling despite multiple injuries

LOS ANGELES -- Forty-one games into the 2012 season, the Dodgers hold the best record in the league, thriving despite half of their starting lineup being on the disabled list.

Manager Don Mattingly knows better than to get over-excited about the prospect of that trend continuing.

"We're still pretty early, even though it's not like it's the first two weeks or nothing," the manager said before Sunday's comeback victory over St. Louis. "There's still lots of baseball to be played. There's still 120 games or something. That's a lot of ball."

"Obviously, it's positive for us that we've been able to sustain and we've been able to survive."

They haven't just survived the injuries. They've thrived.

The Dodgers are 10-3 since May 7 -- the day Jerry Hairston Jr. was placed on the disabled list.A big chunk of the club's offense followed suit. In total, five Dodgers hitters went to the DL in the span of 12 days, including star center fielder Matt Kemp.

Mattingly made sure to note that every team goes through its share of injuries and his is no different. Still, the Dodgers manager said he is hopeful that the news surrounding his club will begin to shift toward players returning.

That happened on Sunday when it was announced Hairston's Monday-Tuesday rehab assignment will be at the club's extended spring training in Arizona. With a three-game series coming against the D-backs, Hairston will travel with the team. He is expected to return Wednesday from his left hamstring strain.

Third baseman Juan Uribe, who was placed on the DL on May 14, met with a hand specialist Sunday night to diagnose his left wrist injury.

"The report was good," Mattingly said. "He's going to move forward. I think that was the big thing, was to kind of let this thing calm down until the doc said he could move forward. He'll start doing some baseball activities."