Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw says sore foot doesn’t affect pitching

SEATTLE — Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw said Friday his sore left foot bothers him when he runs that but it’s not affecting his pitching.

“It’s kind of progressively gotten worse over the last 10 days, two weeks,” said Kershaw, who’s suffering from plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the thick tissue at the bottom of the foot.

“It’s not going to stop me from pitching, it’s just annoying,” the left-hander said. “Throwing’s fine, [it’s] just running.”

Asked if the foot had affected his pitching this season, Kershaw — 4-3 with a 2.55 earned-run average — replied flatly: “No.”

The ailing foot was evident during Kershaw’s last start Monday when he grimaced while running to first base.

Kershaw, last year’s National League Cy Young Award winner, won’t have to worry about running the bases during his start Saturday against the Mariners at Safeco Field; with the designated hitter rule in effect in an American League park, he is unlikely to bat.

“Kind of the peak of the pain was obviously running to first” Monday in Philadelphia, Kershaw said, but thanks to recent treatments “it’s gotten better the last three or four days. Should be fine.”

Manager Don Mattingly said of Kershaw’s foot: “Right now it’s not concerning at all. The only thing he can’t do is really run.” Kershaw has been using a stationary bicycle and other training equipment, Mattingly said, “where he’s not pounding” his feet as he would while running.

Ethier’s future

After Dodgers President Stan Kasten wrote that the club expected right fielder Andre Ethier “to be here for a very long time,” Ethier said it was “neat to hear it coming from him.”

Kasten made the remark Thursday in an online chat with fans, saying Ethier — who is eligible for free agency at the end of the season — is “very important to us.”

Asked if there had been any recent developments on a contract extension, Ethier said, “Not that I’m aware of.”

But Ethier, with nine home runs and an NL-leading 48 runs batted in entering Friday’s game, said he has told his agent “not to involve me unless it’s something that is serious enough for me to consider.”

Lilly’s status

Starting pitcher Ted Lilly, on the disabled list since May 24 because of soreness in his left pitching shoulder, has yet to resume throwing.

“He’ll start throwing once we can get the pain out of there,” Mattingly said of Lilly, who was 5-1 with a 3.14 ERA before being sidelined.

“Really there’s no timetable for Teddy at this point other than, once he starts throwing, we’ve got a chance to start figuring it out,” he said.

Short hops

Former manager Tom Lasorda, who suffered what was described as a “mild” heart attack Monday in New York, was scheduled to fly home Sunday and “is expected to be at Dodger Stadium next week,” the team said. . . . The Dodgers said their home game against the Mets on July 1 will start at 5 p.m.

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