Matthews Another Angel Likely to DL

Gary Matthews Jr. limped out of the clubhouse this morning, an air cast on his sprained right ankle, to have an MRI taken and there is a good chance he will open the year on the disabled list.

“I’m disappointed but it’s done,” said Matthews, who caught his spike running to third base during Monday’s game. “Just move on and hopefully it will only be a couple of weeks. It’d be nice if it was just one week.”

Even if it’s only one week that would still put Monday’s opening day in jeopardy. However, Matthews said the sprain wasn’t as bad as when he suffered a second degree sprain last September in Baltimore that left him on crutches and in a walking boot.

Without Matthews in the lineup, the team would likely have Maicer Izturis bat second, although Howie Kendrick could be an option there. Manager Mike Scioscia also said Casey Kotchman could hit second if need be.