Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake is hoping to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment as early as Friday. He has been on the 15-day disabled list for the past two weeks with a staph infection that ultimately required surgery to clean out. "We would be happy if he were able to go play games while we are on the road," manager Don Mattingly said. "He took batting practice on the field [Saturday] and ground balls. He is a little sore today, just from a couple of days of full workouts. He will take BP on the field for a couple more days, and then we will see if we can get him started."