LOS ANGELES -- Major League Baseball did not order umpire crew chief Rick Reed to issue an official warning to both clubs before Wednesday night's series finale between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

But Reed indicated he was relatively confident the bevy of hit batsmen (seven) in the first two games -- including Danys Baez drilling Shawn Green with two out in the ninth inning on Tuesday night -- would not carry over. Green was unable to play on Wednesday night because of a bruise.

"If I had to guess, I'd guess that [Dodgers reliever Danys] Baez did it on his own, and Grady [Little, Dodgers manager] wasn't too happy about it," said Reed. "I'd say that because when Baez was waiting for the ball, he looked at the dugout. I'm not expecting a problem, because both teams have been told what to expect."

Reed said that official warnings are ordered by the central office, but that doesn't preclude the crew chief from speaking with both managers, which Reed said he did before Tuesday night's game.

Meanwhile, Little didn't appreciate accusations from the Arizona Diamondbacks that he ordered Baez's pitch one out before the end of Tuesday night's game.

"As far as we're concerned, it's over," said Little, whose batters were hit five times by Arizona pitchers in the first two games of the series, compared to Dodgers pitchers hitting two Diamondbacks. "We've all been sitting and watching the games the last few days. A lot of people can be accused of sitting and looking at the field and not watching the game."

Little had no insight as to how these situations get started.

"No one likes that," he said when asked about retaliation. "It's just an accumulation of misunderstandings. It's a shame we've got to have this discussion. It's part of the game of baseball no one likes. It happened on the field, it stays on the field. It happened in the past, it stays in the past as far as I'm concerned."

Said Arizona manager Bob Melvin in response to the suggestion of misunderstandings: "That's usually what happens, and you get emotional on your side. You always think you're right on your side, and the other team is stubborn thinking they're right on their side; we're stubborn, too. It absolutely is [a misunderstanding], and the longer it goes, the more it escalates, but this isn't the first time, and it won't be the last time.

Gagne hospitalized: Injured closer Eric Gagne was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles on Wednesday with lower back pain and was to be examined by specialist Dr. Robert Watkins, who is associated with the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic. Gagne began experiencing the pain on Tuesday. He is recovering slowly from an injured ulnar nerve suffered on June 6 and has been unable to even soft toss.

Kent, Lofton out: Jeff Kent was a late scratch, and Kenny Lofton's name never even made it onto the lineup card for Wednesday night's game.

Kent tried to loosen up, but left the field with continued discomfort in the area of the left oblique, an injury that can be very tricky and persistent because of the trunk torque required to swing a bat, and the challenge of treating deep muscle. This is the second game Kent has missed, but Nomar Garciaparra and Brett Tomko have been disabled with injuries in the same area this year.

Lofton came out of Tuesday night's game when he felt his hamstring tighten in the sixth inning.

"We don't want to mess with a hamstring," Little said. "We don't want it to get worse."

Ramon Martinez started again for Kent. Replacing Lofton was struggling 21-year-old rookie Matt Kemp, whose strikeouts are accumulating at a staggering clip. Since June 15, when he was batting .375, Kemp is hitting .218 (12-for-55), but whiffing at a rate of .455 (25 K's in 55 at-bats).

Kemp has only two months of seasoning as high as Double-A, but Little said he sees no signs that Kemp's struggles pose a threat to his overall development.

"At every point in his first time in the big leagues, every bit of experience he's getting is beneficial," Little said. "If we ever think it's slowing down his development ... we think everything that's coming his way, good and bad, is just beneficial to him. We don't at all feel this guy is in over his head. He's at a level where he will have a lot of success in the future."

Against left-handers, Kemp is batting .207 with 13 strikeouts in 29 at-bats.

Hendrickson ready: Despite skipping his between-starts bullpen session, Mark Hendrickson and his bruised bicep muscle will take the ball on Thursday night. Hendrickson needed the extra time to heal after being struck by a Vladimir Guerrero line drive.

Little said the way Angels baserunners got repeated big jumps on Hendrickson, the 6-foot-9 left-hander might need to make some adjustments holding runners, including an occasional slide step and more throws to first base.

LaRoche returns: Triple-A third baseman Andy LaRoche, who suffered a slight labrum tear in his throwing shoulder three weeks ago, returned to action this week without needing surgery. LaRoche is considered one of the organization's best hitting prospects.

Think Blue: As part of the Dodger Fan Rewards Club's Think Blue Week, spina bifida sufferer Josiah Delgadillo won the chance to take batting practice on Thursday with Dodgers coach Manny Mota.

"Taking batting practice with Coach Mota will be the ultimate stick-it-to-them scenario to all the people who have told me I would not be able to even pick up a bat, let alone be a decent hitter," Delgadillo said.

Coming up: Hendrickson (0-1, 1.80 ERA) opposes Matt Cain (6-6, 5.05) and the Giants at 7:10 p.m. PT on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium in the opener of a four-game series.