Sanchez May Need More Leg Room

Dodger pitcher Duaner Sanchez is in trouble with the police -- the fashion police, that is.

His pants are too long, according to Bob Watson, baseball’s dean of discipline. In a letter Sanchez received Monday, Watson warned him that his uniform pants cannot cover his heel and he could be fined $1,000 or more for future infractions.

Sanchez said he has worn his pants that way all season but indicated he would comply.

“If they say it’s too long, I’ll have to do something about it,� he said. “It’s nothing to worry about.�

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Ryan Rupe, who pitched in Japan last season after stints with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Boston Red Sox, could emerge as an option as the Dodgers scramble to fill rotation vacancies created by the injury to Odalis Perez and the removal of Scott Erickson.

Rupe pitched a complete game and struck out 11 for triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday. He is 2-1 with a 3.80 earned-run average, with four walks and 28 strikeouts in 24 innings.

Norihiro Nakamura, who has played third base, shortstop and first base at Las Vegas, hit a pair of three-run home runs on Sunday and is hitting .358 in 18 games there, with 10 homers and 24 runs batted in.

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After rookie catcher Dioner Navarro did not play in five days with the Dodgers, they returned him to Las Vegas so he could play every day. Las Vegas backup Mike Rose replaced Navarro in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers designated Las Vegas pitcher Buddy Carlyle for assignment. ... Outfielder Milton Bradley is scheduled for an MRI examination today that should determine whether his injury -- a sprained flexor tendon in his right ring finger -- can heal without a stint on the disabled list. ... Perez threw all fastballs in a 46-pitch bullpen session, after which he reported no pain but “a mild bit of stiffness� in his sore left shoulder, Manager Jim Tracy said. His return appears more than a week away. ... First baseman Hee-Seop Choi did not start because of what Tracy called “mild stiffness� in his left forearm. Said Tracy: “It could be from the volume of swings he’s taking.� ... Tracy says it is too soon to tell whether catcher Paul Bako, who sprained a ligament in his left knee last week, will be able to return after the minimum 15 days on the disabled list.