http://0rz.tw/371X7 SAN FRANCISCO -- Manager Grady Little had few specifics about his postseason plans before Saturday's game, because he wasn't even sure he'd have a team playing in the postseason. If he does, he probably will have Brad Penny for a start, if he chooses. Penny, who left his Thursday start in Colorado after one inning with a stiff back, threw a full and impressive bullpen session before Saturday's game. "He threw the ball all right," said Little. "We'll see how he feels afterward, but he looked all right to me." "It felt good," said Penny, whose breaking ball was particularly sharp. "It's okay." Little indicated that Derek Lowe would start Game 1 of the playoffs if Lowe was not required to pitch a must-win game Sunday. He said Hong-Chih Kuo had earned a playoff start. And because of Kuo, Little seemed prepared to shift to a three-man rotation if necessary, depending on Penny and the specific schedule that comes with each possible postseason scenario. For example, as a Wild Card qualifier opening in New York, the Dodgers would play games Wednesday and Thursday on the road, Saturday and possibly Sunday at home, and back in New York on Monday, if needed. If the Dodgers win the division, the first two games would be at home Tuesday and Thursday, then on the road Saturday and possibly Sunday, and back at home Monday if needed. In either scenario, Little could go with a three-man rotation of Lowe, Greg Maddux and Kuo, but Lowe and/or Maddux would be needed to pitch on three days rest. If Little trusts that Penny can get through a start, it would eliminate the need for Lowe or Maddux to pitch on three days rest. "You saw it. Can you hit it?" pitching coach Rick Honeycutt asked reporters after Penny's session was finished. No Nomar: After badly aggravating a strained oblique muscle Friday night, Nomar Garciaparra was out of the lineup Saturday, with Jeff Kent starting at first base and Julio Lugo playing second base. Little said Garciaparra needed to rest Saturday to give him a chance to play on Sunday, if needed. He added that he liked Lugo in the infield with Maddux on the mound. Little started Andre Ethier in left field over Marlon Anderson because Ethier is 3-for-4 against Giants starter Matt Cain, while Anderson is 0-for-6 with four strikeouts. Kuo's obligation: Kuo made the most important start of his budding Major League career Friday night, recording a no-decision against the Giants, but he could face some considerable pressure after the season, too. Kuo has already been named to the Taiwan National Team that will participate in the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, on the Persian Gulf in December. Kuo said he's not sure if he will play, or as he puts it: "If I have to." Taiwanese men of military age are exempt from service if they contribute to their country in other ways, which is why Kuo spent much of Spring Training playing for his homeland in the World Baseball Classic. As a result, he missed much of the Dodgers' Spring Training, to the consternation of a new management team that wanted to see what it had in the left-hander, whose vast potential had been obscured by five years of elbow problems. For Kuo, there was no choice. He had an obligation to his country greater than that to his American team, even one that had endured half a decade of rehabs from two Tommy John elbow operations. Kuo's recent success during the Dodgers' stretch run will heighten expectations of his participation. Yet, there's also concern in the Taiwanese community over how Kuo's inclusion could affect his health, in large part because he's been down this route once before. A year after his first elbow surgery, Kuo tried to pitch for Taiwan in the 2002 Asian Games. Within a few months, he needed a second Tommy John procedure. He said that to blame the Asian Games for his relapse is unfair. "My arm was already not feeling good from the first operation," he said. "I don't think [playing in the Asian Games] was why [he needed a second surgery]." Kuo's contract requires permission from the club for any outside baseball participation. It hasn't been sought yet, or given, but Acey Kohrogi, the Dodgers' director of Asian operations, said the organization is sensitive to such commitments. Either way, Kuo is required to attend a 12-day military training camp each offseason. Saenz passes Monday: Olmedo Saenz's game-tying RBI single Friday night was his 35th pinch-hit as a Dodger, passing broadcaster Rick Monday for eighth place on the all-time franchise list. Coming up: Pending the importance of the game, Lowe (16-8, 3.63) is scheduled to oppose Jason Schmidt (11-9, 3.56) in Sunday's regular-season finale. --

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