PHOENIX - Shawn Estes is back on the mound again after a three-week absence.

The Padres' veteran left-hander is throwing 40 pitch-bullpen sessions - fastballs only - and is hopeful he'll reach 50 to 60 pitches as he continues building arm strength.

Estes said the three-week hiatus was due to inflammation, which limited him to playing long toss. Three weeks ago, Estes visited Dr. Lewis Yocum for an MRI and to make sure everything in his left elbow was structurally sound 10 months after he underwent Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery.

After he was given the all clear, Estes began throwing again.

At first he didn't feel quite right. But his fortunes began changing with his second session.

"I expected the worst the second time I threw, and it was the best I've felt," Estes said. "I don't want to fight the clock. If I have to go under the knife again, and miss another year, I'm 36 before I get back on the mound again."

Even with his one-year anniversary approaching, Estes isn't pushing it - even though he'd like to.

"You eyeball one year, and that's June 7," Estes said. "You push through things you shouldn't. One thing I do realize is that I don't have time on my side any more. I'm going to take it at the pace the body allows you."

Bard to come off DL

Catcher Josh Bard, who caught six innings in an extended spring training game at Peoria, Ariz. on Thursday, will come off the disabled list in time for tonight's game against the Dodgers.

Manager Bud Black upgraded Bard from "probable" to "highly likely."

Bard, who was 2-for-5 with a double, said he feels good.

"I'm excited to get back," Bard said. "It felt like it was a good test."

Et cetera

Less than 1,000 tickets remain for tonight's contest against the Dodgers, fewer than 2,000 are left for Saturday night and a limited number remain for Sunday's contest. … Announcer Jerry Coleman was not in the broadcast booth in Phoenix because he was being inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, along with Jerry Rice, Will Clark and others. … C Todd Greene has been the designated hitter in extended spring training at Peoria for the past 10 days. Greene is progressing with his throwing, although he said, "I don't think any athlete sees the rate (of progress) they want to see."

Padres on Deck: vs. L.A. Dodgers

Where: Petco Park

Probable pitchers:

Today - LHP Mark Hendrickson (1-0, 1.62 ERA) vs. RHP Clay Hensley (1-3, 9.45 ERA) 7:05 p.m.

Saturday - RHP Brett Tomko (0-1, 2.65 ERA) vs. RHP Greg Maddux (1-2, 4.24 ERA), 7:05 p.m.

Sunday - RHP Derek Lowe (2-3, 4.40 ERA) vs. LHP David Wells (1-1, 6.00 ERA), 1:05 p.m.

TV: 4 SD

Radio: XPRS (1090 AM, 105.7 FM); XEMO (860 AM, Spanish)

At a glance: The Dodgers come to town experiencing something of a slump. They had lost three games in a row heading into Thursday night's series finale with the Giants. … In their first meeting of the season April 13-15, the Dodgers took two of three from the Padres. … Hendrickson allowed a run in 5 2/3 innings at Colorado on April 19 to win his first start of the season. Hendrickson started in place of injured RHP Jason Schmidt (right elbow), who was placed on the disabled list April 17. … Dodgers OF Juan Pierre has a team-high seven steals and 17 runs scored through Wednesday. … RHPs Jonathan Broxton (1-0) and Takashi Saito (six saves) have allowed only two runs and 15 batters to reach base in 21 1/3 innings. … Hensley picked up his first win of the year in Denver on Saturday. Hensley, who limited Colorado to two runs in six innings, did not face the Dodgers in Los Angeles. … 1B Adrian Gonzalez's first-inning home run on Thursday night, his seventh home run of the season, tied him for the Padres' all-time mark in April. He joins Ken Caminiti (1998) Rondell White (2003) and Ryan

Klesko (2003). The homer also gave Gonzalez the team record for most RBIs in April with 23.