Chad Billingsley continues to make progress from a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right (throwing) elbow.

The pitcher said Wednesday that he continues to throw from flat ground on back-to-back days, followed by one day of rest. He’s now able to make “about 35″ throws from up to 60 feet, and is on track to throw off a mound in “a couple weeks.”

It was initially feared that Billingsley might have to undergo Tommy John surgery,which would force him to miss all of the 2013 season. But as long as he continues to throw without pain, that seems less and less likely.

The possibility of Tommy John surgery is dimming for Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley, who was shut down for the season Sept. 5 with tearing in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right (pitching) elbow.

Billingsley said he’s been doing daily forearm exercises without pain as part of his weightlifting routine for the last week. He will travel with the Dodgers on their upcoming road trip to Washington and Cincinnati starting Monday and, if he stays healthy, will start playing light catch in Cincinnati on Friday –four weeks from the time of his UCL injury.

“I’ll do that for a week or so,” Billingsley said. “If everything goes well with that, it’ll be a throwing program. If that goes well, I’ll be throwing to live hitters by mid-October.”

Billingsley said it’s to soon to know where he’ll face live hitters.

“It depends on where we are,” he said.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday that he is preparing as if Chad Billingsley will not return to pitch this season, either as a starter or a reliever.

“There’s really no time,” Mattingly said. “He just runs out of time. His chances are pretty far down at this point.”

Although that assessment is not coming out of nowhere, it’s the most grim outlook the manager has provided since Billingsley left his Aug. 24 start against Miami with pain in his right elbow. The pain hasn’t gone away, despite Billingsley receiving a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection last week. He is scheduled to have another injection tomorrow.

“I think he’s been feeling a little better lately,” Mattingly said. “We’re not talking about surgery or anything at this point.”

Billingsley was 6-0 with a 1.30 earned-run average in six starts before his fateful start against the Marlins. He is guaranteed 10 wins (10-9) for a sixth straight season, something only Cole Hamels has done among active National League pitchers.

The right-hander’s final numbers this season have been respectable on the whole –a 3.55 ERA, with a career-best 2.84 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Inconsistency remained his Achilles’ heel, however: In 10 wins, Billingsley had a 1.16 ERA and a microscopic 0.843 WHIP. In nine losses, those numbers ballooned to 6.89 and 1.717 respectively.

With 27 games left in the season, the Dodgers are no longer focused on winning series or gaining moral victories. Time is running out.

Likewise, it was good news Monday when Chad Billingsley said that the pain in his right elbow was “definitely getting a lot better.” But he still is not pain-free, still isn’t cleared to throw, and still isn’t any closer to returning to the Dodgers’ rotation.

That’s why it’s becoming so hard to predict if or when Billingsley will pitch again this season.

“I don’t know how we’re going to get a quick answer, other than all of a sudden he’s not feeling anything,” manager Don Mattingly said. “Even if he starts throwing, the likelihood of seeing him again gets lower and lower.”

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