Andre Ethier is the designated hitter in Dodgers’ first road interleague game of the season.

Andre Ethier is the Dodgers’ designated hitter for tonight’s scheduled game against the Minnesota Twins. It’s the first game in which the Dodgers can use a designated hitter, since last night’s game against the Twins was postponed until tomorrow.

It also offers a brief respite from the team’s so-called “four outfielder problem.” Carl Crawford is in left field, Matt Kemp is in center and Yasiel Puig is in right field against Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson.

Drew Butera is the Dodgers’ catcher. Tim Federowicz was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque and Miguel Olivo was recalled earlier today.

The weather forecast for Minneapolis is decidedly miserable — temperatures in the low 40s, clouds overhead — but not impossible for a baseball game.

Here are the lineups for both teams:
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Miguel Olivo joins the Dodgers, TIm Federowicz optioned to Triple-A as Dodgers shuffle catchers.

Miguel Olivo

Miguel Olivo is a veteran of 1,116 major-league games, but none since June of last year. (Getty Images)

The Dodgers have had some wiggle room with their roster for at least a couple weeks now. From the time Chad Billingsley exited his first (and still only) rehabilitation start on April 6, it’s been less and less likely that the right-hander would return within the first two months of the season.

Wednesday, the Dodgers formally acknowledged that fact. Billingsley was transfered to the 60-day disabled list and the Dodgers selected the contract of catcher Miguel Olivo to the 40-man roster.

Rather than continue to stash Olivo in Triple-A Albuquerque, where he’s batting .390 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games, the Dodgers recalled Olivo and optioned catcher Tim Federowicz to Albuquerque for the second time this season.

Olivo, 35, hasn’t appeared in a major-league game since June of last year with the Miami Marlins. He showed well in spring training, batting .263 (5 for 19) in nine games as a non-roster invitee on a minor-league contract. When he was returned to the minors, Olivo requested his release.

Ultimately Olivo bid his time at Triple-A and was rewarded for his patience.

Federowicz was batting .109 (5 for 46) with two doubles in 13 games. Neither he nor Drew Butera (.190) provided much offense in the absence of starter A.J. Ellis, but Butera is out of options.

Ellis, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 7, is expected back in mid-May.

Paco Rodriguez returns to the Dodgers, if only for a day. Updates.

Paco Rodriguez mugshotPaco Rodriguez is returning to the Dodgers.

The left-handed reliever was recalled from the Albuquerque Isotopes on Tuesday, according to a release issued by the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate. The Minnesota Twins are hosting the Dodgers tomorrow; today’s game was postponed due to inclement weather in Minneapolis and the teams will play a day-night doubleheader Thursday.

The Dodgers haven’t issued an announcement or a corresponding roster move, probably because there isn’t one. Major-league teams are allowed to carry 26 players on their 25-man roster for a doubleheader — but only in the case of day-night doubleheaders that have been scheduled 24 hours in advance. The rule went into effect with the most recent collective bargaining agreement, which was enacted in 2012.

Since this doubleheader fits the bill, Rodriguez might only be with the team Thursday before he heads back to Albuquerque.

Rodriguez allowed two runs in eight appearances spanning 5 ⅔ innings with the Dodgers. He pitched three scoreless innings at Albuquerque.

Update (5:36 p.m.): According to the minor league transactions page, Carlos Triunfel has been optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. Triunfel’s trifle of a major-league recall lasted less than 48 hours.

Update 2 (7:30 p.m.): The Dodgers officially announced that Rodriguez has been recalled and Carlos Triunfel has been optioned to Albuquerque.

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti joins the chorus calling for SportsNet LA in more homes.

From the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti chided Time Warner Cable at an industry gathering Tuesday for not reaching deals with other TV providers so all fans of the Dodgers could watch the team’s games.

The Dodgers are more than a month into their regular season and so far only customers of Time Warner Cable Inc., its partner Bright House Networks, and a small operator called Champion Broadband have been able to see them.

That leaves out subscribers of major providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network, Verizon and AT&T.

The contract to broadcast Dodgers games, which had long been with Fox Sports’ Prime Ticket regional sports network, was snatched up Time Warner Cable Inc. last year in a deal estimated to be worth $7 billion over the next two decades.

Garcetti used a keynote speech at the Cable Show industry conference to press for a deal.

“I hope that we can resolve the fact that our home town baseball team, the Dodgers, is not currently seen on all of our boxes around the city,” he said.

Daily Distractions: The Dodgers won’t play today and Zack Greinke shouldn’t mind.

Zack  Greinke

Zack Greinke was scheduled to pitch in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Twins. (Associated Press photo)

Attention, Target Field shoppers: It’s raining in Minnesota.

It’s raining so much, that the Dodgers won’t play the Minnesota Twins today. The game has been postponed until Thursday at 4 p.m. (PST) as part of a day-night doubleheader, with the first game beginning at 10 a.m.

It couldn’t happen to a better pitcher.

While some hurlers are such creatures of habit that anything more or less than regular rest throws their performance off-kilter, Zack Greinke doesn’t seem to mind the occasional extra day. Tonight’s scheduled starter will presumably take the ball tomorrow night on six days’ rest. Here are Greinke’s career numbers on six days’ rest, via Baseball-Reference.com:

   W-L  ERA  IP    H   R  ER  HR  BB SO  HBP WP BF  WHIP   SO9 SO/W
   11-6 2.72 149.0 144 56 45  12  38 116  6  6  620 1.221  7.0 3.05

Greinke is also in the midst of a ridiculous hot streak that’s seen him pitch at least five innings without allowing more than two runs in 20 consecutive starts, including the 2013 postseason. That’s the longest such streak in the modern era, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

His numbers since last July 4: Greinke has a 1.76 ERA, averaging 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings against 8.5 baserunners, and five strikeouts for every walk. So the Twins have that to look forward to.

Some bullet points for a World Wish Day:
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