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LOS ANGELES -- Given the Red Sox Dustin Pedroia Jersey way Mike Pelfrey's 94 mph fastball hit Aaron Miles -- square in the right elbow with a loud thud before bouncing back a few feet toward the mound -- Miles was justifiably pessimistic about his elbow contusion following Tuesday night's game.So it took him by surprise a bit when the Dodgers infielder arrived at the ballpark Wednesday with a bruise but no damage or severe soreness.Miles was not in Wednesday's lineup, a move manager Don Mattingly said was precautionary. He had his Dustin Pedroia Jersey entire elbow thickly wrapped, but appeared to have no problems throwing during batting practice."Yeah [I'm surprised it's feeling this good]," said Miles, who receieved X-rays after Tuesday's game that were negative. "I got hit by a pitch in not a very good spot. But the mobility seems to be coming back."Miles' initial worry was that the ball hit him square in the elbow rather than glancing off his arm or hitting muscle.He said a serious injury would have been extremely disappointing, given his recent hot streak. Miles is hitting .320 and led the National League with a .419 average in June."I feel real good at the plate, and I've been playing a lot lately, and I want to keep playing," he said. "It was really frustrating last night to just have the thought that something could set me back."Jamey Carroll got the start at second base and hit second for the Dodgers on Wednesday against the Mets. Mattingly said so long as Josh Hamilton Jersey Miles feels OK in batting practice, he'll be available to pinch-hit."He feels better today than he thought he was going to," Mattingly said. "But we've got Jamey sitting there, so we can give him the day to get healthy and we can pinch-hit Red Sox Kevin Youkilis Jersey him off the bench."Miles hit third on Tuesday in place of Andre Ethier, who missed the game with a fever but was back in the lineup Wednesday. It was the first time he's batted third since 2003, and he joked that with Ethier's return, and given Monday's results, he doesn't plan on doing so again.As for the Dodgers, Miles' injury -- or lack thereof -- comes as a bit of a surprise for a team that has had 23 disabled-list stints, including infielders Casey Authentic Carlton Fisk Jersey Blake and Rafael Furcal a combined total of five times. Asked whether it was a relief to finally get some good news on injuries, Mattingly laughed."We've had our share," he said.Ethier resumes Final Vote chase with RBI, runLOS ANGELES -- Forced to a sickbed with a 103-degree fever Tuesday night, Andre Ethier resumed his bid Wednesday for a National League roster spot in the 2011 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by Sprint.Ethier went Authentic Kevin Youkilis Jersey 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and two strikeouts in the Dodgers' 5-3 loss to the Mets. Ethier scored the first Dodgers run in the fourth inning, reaching on a forceout after Jamey Carroll's bunt single, taking third on Matt Kemp's bloop single and scoring on Juan Uribe's groundout. Then Ethier drove in the Dodgers' second run in the sixth inning, following Rafael Furcal's leadoff walk and Carroll's third hit of the game by punching a single through the hole into left field as Furcal scored and Carroll took second. Ethier then was erased at second on Kemp's fielder's choice grounder. Ethier is batting .316, sixth in the NL, with 100 hits, eighth in the league. Ethier, who had a 30-game hitting streak earlier this season, the best in MLB, has the second-highest average in the league against right-handed hitters. Less than one day is left in voting, as the polls close Thursday at 1 p.m. PT. Through Wednesday's update, Ethier was second to Carl Yastrzemski Jersey Philadelphia's Shane Victorino for the NL's Final Vote spot.Mattingly optimistic amid Dodgers' strugglesLOS ANGELES -- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly doesn't have a choice but to be optimistic.Despite a loss Tuesday that dropped the Dodgers deeper into last place in the National League West and a season-high 13 games under .500, he was upbeat and positive in his meeting with the media Wednesday. He said, regardless of record, he expects his team to constantly be playing as if it's playing for a championship."We're the Los Angeles Dodgers, and you know what, we've got a lot to uphold," Mattingly said. "It's been a Authentic Josh Hamilton Jersey great organization, no Rangers Josh Hamilton Jersey matter what's going on, we have got to play the game right. We can Authentic David Ortiz Jersey feel sorry for ourselves and talk about not getting hits with men on base. We can talk about not getting outs, but we can't carry ourselves in a way that says, 'We're not gonna play hard' or 'We're gonna give up.'"Mattingly pointed to his days playing for the Yankees in the early 1990s. He said those struggling teams showed winning character, which paved the way for five World Series titles.He spoke of having a winning foundation, specifically on the mound, citing those teams and last year's Giants squad. He said the Dodgers have that in their pitching staff with Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Rubby De La Rosa."If you're gonna start anywhere, start with those three," he said."How about that Kemp guy?" a reporter responded, referring to All-Star outfielder Matt Kemp."Yeah, who is that guy?" Mattingly joked.Ellis tries to make most of chances to startLOS ANGELES -- The plight of the Dodgers' catchers -- injuries and offensive Red Sox David Ortiz Jersey inefficiency -- has left manager Don Mattingly searching for an answer.For now, he at least has a temporary one Kevin Youkilis Jersey in A.J. Ellis, who started his fourth straight game Wednesday, when the Dodgers faced the Mets in the third game of a four-game series.To make the most of his opportunity, Ellis plans to keep everything exactly as he's always done it."I just have to keep being the person I've always been, and that's always trying to get better," Ellis said. "It took a lot of hard work, a couple breaks here and there, to get here. It's gonna take a lot of hard work to stay."Ellis has struggled a bit at the plate, hitting just .225 in 14 games, and all nine of his hits are singles. But it's still above average for his role, as the four Dodgers who have caught this season are hitting a combined .204.Mattingly acknowledged the obvious lack of offensive production, especially with starter Rod Barajas, who Red Sox Josh Beckett Jersey is hitting just .220 but has eight homers, sidelined with a sprained ankle. He said his choice of Ellis, who was called up when Barajas went down, over Dioner Navarro is a result of Ellis' ability to handle the pitching staff."I Josh Beckett Jersey want to make sure I never put somebody in a bad spot," Ellis said. "Every finger I put down, every pitch I make."At the plate, Ellis said he can certainly improve, but he has a job to do hitting in the eighth spot. His average may be low, but with less than two outs, he said he needs "to reach base and turn the lineup over," and he has done that with a .367 David Ortiz Jersey on-base percentage.One of the things Mattingly loves most is the way Ellis is constantly aware of his roles both offensively and defensively. He shied away when asked if Ellis was a long-term solution this season."For right now," he responded. "Rod's out, and I don't mind having [Dioner] back there. But I feel like Authentic Dustin Pedroia Jersey A.J.'s been the one who when he puts down a finger, he knows there's a reason why."Ellis hasn't thought much about what happens when Barajas returns. Mattingly said he likely won't keep three catchers, and Navarro is out of options, leaving Ellis as the odd man Authentic Josh Beckett Jersey out.It won't stop Ellis from continuing to work, however. When asked about his approach at the plate, Ellis said he wants opposing pitchers to view his at-bat the way he views baseball."Nothing's easy," he said. "Nothing's for free."