SAN FRANCISCO -- Greg Maddux, whose postseason role has yet to be determined, will start for the Dodgers on Saturday night, and Chad Billingsley is also scheduled to pitch a couple of innings before his Game 2 start in the playoffs Thursday. But the appearance that could have the biggest bearing on the postseason might come from Hong-Chih Kuo. The reliever with the golden, but brittle, left arm was able to play catch without discomfort Friday and manager Joe Torre said he was hopeful he could (星期五的传接没有不舒服) (Torre希望Kuo星期六可以投一局) use Kuo for an inning Saturday in what would be a critical opportunity to judge whether he's healthy enough to be on the postseason roster. Kuo has pitched only once in the last three weeks because of stiffness in the triceps area above the elbow that has undergone four operations, two of them Tommy John ligament reconstructions. Kuo's absence again was noticeable Friday night, when the Dodgers let a ninth-inning lead get away. It was the third blown save for Jonathan Broxton since he took over as closer when Takashi Saito was injured in mid-July. The Dodgers bullpen allowed all six runs in 6 2/3 innings of relief. Torre said that because of Kuo's status, and with Saito still not at 100 percent after missing two months with a torn elbow ligament, he's decided to take an 11-man pitching staff into the postseason. For that reason, and assuming he keeps Jeff Kent as a pinch-hitter, he expects to take a look at Pablo Ozuna in the outfield Saturday. Ozuna could sneak onto the club if he shows the versatility to play both the infield and outfield. He's already been tested at second base. --

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