Stiff neck could sideline Lilly for opening series By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com | 03/25/12 4:16 PM ET GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dodgers pitcher Ted Lilly's recurring stiff neck is more serious than originally believed and his status for the first series of the regular season is uncertain. Lilly, who missed a bullpen session Saturday, was off the field Sunday. Manager Don Mattingly said the lefty will miss his next scheduled start Wednesday. His spot in the opening-series rotation would have come up for Saturday, April 7. "Yesterday, I didn't worry too much," Mattingly said Sunday. Because of an off-day, Lilly and fifth starter Chris Capuano could swap slots and Lilly's first start wouldn't be until April 14. Mattingly said he and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt have not drawn up alternate plans yet. "It could change things," he said of Lilly missing more time. "It sounds like he slept funny and he has trouble turning his head. He's been throwing good. The last thing you want is to push him forward and end up going backward. Actually, the first-series off-day gives us flexibility." Lilly left a start early last August because of neck stiffness and at the time underwent acupuncture therapy, which appeared to resolve the problem. If Lilly is unable to open the season on the roster, the logical replacement is Nathan Eovaldi, who has allowed one earned run in 10 2/3 innings this spring. In other injury news, infielder Justin Sellers is "60 percent" healed from a skin irritation, Mattingly said, and might be back on the field Monday. And pitcher Blake Hawksworth, who has missed all of Spring Training with an elbow infection following surgery, is likely to be placed on the 60-day emergency disabled list because he still hasn't resumed a throwing program and will need at least six weeks to be game ready when he does. That will open a 40-man roster spot for the addition of a non-roster player. Among those in the mix for jobs are relievers Jamey Wright, John Grabow and Scott Rice and position players Josh Fields, Luis Cruz, Cory Sullivan and Josh Bard.
