Back surgery ends Eric Milton’s season

Left-hander Eric Milton of the LA Dodgers has undergone back surgery and is done for the 2009 season, the team said on its Web site.

A procedure, called a microdiskectomy, to remove a herniated disk was performed Tuesday by Dr. Robert Watkins at an undisclosed hospital and is expected to require a three-month hospital stay.

The procedure followed a two-year absence to recover from Tommy John left elbow reconstruction surgery.

Milton, 33, a State College, Pa., native, went 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in five starts (23 2/3 innings) this season.

The back injury forced the Dodgers to place him on the 15-day disabled list on June 28.

In 10-plus major league seasons with Minnesota, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and the Dodgers, Milton has an 89-85 career record with a 4.99 ERA.

The Los Angeles Times said the top candidates to be the team’s No. 5 starter in Milton’s absence are southpaw Eric Stults and right-handers James McDonald, and Jason Schmidt.