Dodgers Place Tsao On DL, Call Up Houlton

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ The Los Angeles Dodgers placed right-hander Chin-hui Tsao back on the 15-day disabled list Sunday a little more than two weeks after activating him. <br/><br/>Tsao missed nearly six

Sunday, July 15th 2007, 3:59 pm

By: News On 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ The Los Angeles Dodgers placed right-hander Chin-hui Tsao back on the 15-day disabled list Sunday a little more than two weeks after activating him.

Tsao missed nearly six weeks earlier this season because of a strained right shoulder before being activated June 29. He appeared in six games after coming off the disabled list but felt soreness in the shoulder once again during Saturday's outing against the San Francisco Giants.

Tsao gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Giants, allowing a grand slam to Randy Winn in the eighth inning. Tsao said he felt a little soreness when he started to warm up and had trouble throwing his slider. Tsao felt a little better Sunday but the Dodgers still decided to put him on the DL because of his previous shoulder problems.

``We know if we keep putting him out there it will get worse because that is what happened last time,'' trainer Stan Conte said.

Tsao, who had never appeared in more than 10 games in a season before this year, is 0-1 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 relief appearances with the Dodgers. Tsao had an operation in May 2005 to repair a torn labrum and missed all of the 2006 season for Colorado recovering from the injury.

``Anytime you have a situation where you put a guy on the DL it's a concern,'' manager Grady Little said. ``We have to make sure we get it right this time.''

The Dodgers recalled D.J. Houlton from Triple-A Las Vegas to take Tsao's spot on the roster. Houlton, who was mostly a starter in the minors, made four relief appearances for the Dodgers earlier this season, allowing two earned runs in 6 2-3 innings.

Houlton, who started Thursday in Las Vegas, was 6-4 with a 3.68 ERA in the minors.