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Posted by Patrick Moore - Men's Golf - Mon, Aug 17, 2009
DODGERS SITE
 
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - - Less then a week after being called up to the Major Leagues from AAA, former Madonna University golfer and volunteer assistant baseball coach Charlie Haeger will make his first start in a Dodger uniform Monday (Aug. 17) night in a nationally televised game against the St. Louis Cardinals on ESPN2 starting at 10pm.    

Haeger - an all-star for the second time at the AAA level this season - is 1-2 with a 6.35 earned run average in 10 previous appearances in the Major Leagues with the Chicago White Sox (2006-07) and the San Diego Padres (2008).
 
Prior to his call up, Haeger was 11-6 with a 3.55 earned run average through 22 starts this season for the Albuquerque.  The knuckleballer made his last appearance for Isotopes on Aug.  7, hurling four scoreless innings.
 
Haeger makes his Dodgers debut as the starting pitcher against the St. Louis Cardinals, their ace Chris Carpenter and their perennial MVP candidate Albert Pujols.
 
"That's a good lineup. It'll be fun tomorrow," said Haeger, the latest in a long line of fifth-starter candidates. "I like to challenge myself. That lineup is so good, you can't take an at-bat off or a pitch off. You've got to be focused 100 percent and that's something I thrive on. I like a challenge. I'm excited for it."
 
To give Chad Billingsley's tender hamstring an extra day of rest, the Dodgers decided to tab Haeger and leave Jeff Weaver, who filled the fifth-starter spot last Wednesday in San Francisco, in the bullpen. Haeger last pitched on Aug. 7 against Portland.

"I was kind of surprised," Haeger said of learning he'd get the Monday night start. "I didn't really know if Bills would start or Weaver. Sure, I'm excited and looking forward to it. Getting a start, that's what I'm more accustomed to doing. My other big league appearances, all but one was in relief. I just hope to go out and give a quality game and get a win.

Haeger has three previous callups, two with the White Sox in 2006 and 2007 and one last year with the Padres. His only start was May 10, 2006, for the White Sox against the Angels, when he was charged with five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, walking six.
   
"It wasn't great," he said. "It didn't go very well. I was a little amped up. I walked like six in five innings. It was a rough outing. I don't know if I learned something from that one game, but I think I've learned from a compilation of all my games. For me, it just comes down to throwing strikes, no matter what level you're at. Strikes are key."
 
Information from Dodgers.com and MLB.com was used in this report
 
Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834