Gonzalez leaves game after being hit by a pitch on the elbow

Adrian Gonzalez left Thursday’s game for precautionary reasons after being hit by a pitch on the elbow in the fourth inning.

The Dodgers first baseman was wearing a pad on the elbow, but it didn’t completely protect him from the inside pitch by the Angels’ Hector Santiago in the Dodgers’ 7-5 loss in the opener of a three-game Freeway series to close out the spring.

“He said he felt like he could have kept playing,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “He had two at-bats, was going to get one more. It didn’t seem worth it. Might as well get ice on that thing and try to keep swelling down if it’s going to be that bad.”

Mattingly is holding out hope that Gonzalez will be ready for Friday’s game against the Angels.