Much as the reputations of Rick Peterson and Jim Duquette took a hit when Victor Zambrano was shut down shortly after his arrival in Flushing, LA’s Paul De Podesta faced a hailstorm of criticism following the trade that brought Brad Penny to the Dodgers. Especially after Penny sufferered a bicep injury in his third start after coming over for Paul LoDuca and Guillermo Mota. The LA Times’ Steve Henson reports that Penny showed encouraging signs in 5 innings (2 hits, one run) worth of work for the Vero Beach Dodgers (Class A, Florida State League) Wednesday night, with another rehab assignment to follow next Monday.

Henson also reports, however, that alleged steroid user Wilson Alvarez, suffering from shoulder tendinitis, isn’t showing nearly as much progress.