Is sparing Kuo also spoiling him?

Left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo has presented Joe Torre with a dilemma.

Should the Dodgers manager use Kuo frequently at the risk of re-injuring an elbow that has undergone four operations? Or should he be used sparingly at the risk of compromising his sharpness?

Torre has so far opted for the latter strategy and Kuo, who was arguably the Dodgers’ most effective reliever last season, has looked out of sync.

Kuo has yet to pitch on consecutive days and on Wednesday was charged with two runs without recording an out in a win over San Francisco. When he pitched against Colorado two days later, he loaded the bases in the eighth inning without giving up a hit and forced closer Jonathan Broxton into the game early. Broxton had to get five outs to record the save.

“Maybe his ineffectiveness is based on the fact that he hasn’t worked a lot,” Torre said.

Although Torre said he would like to have Kuo pitch in a non-threatening situation to regain his rhythm, he didn’t use him Saturday or Sunday when the Dodgers had sizable leads.

Trainer Stan Conte has said Kuo’s arm could probably withstand back-to-back appearances, according to Torre.

Back-to-back?

The Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals are the only National League teams to reach the playoffs three times in the last five seasons. The Cardinals made all three appearances under Manager Tony La Russa, while the Dodgers had a different manager each time: Jim Tracy in 2004, Grady Little in 2006 and Joe Torre in 2008.

The Dodgers also had different managers in their previous two playoff appearances: Tom Lasorda in 1995, Bill Russell in 1996.

If the Dodgers return to the playoffs this season, Torre will become the first manager to lead them to postseason play in consecutive years since Lasorda did so in 1977 and ’78.

Now batting for Vin . . .

Eric Collins can be heard on his first Dodgers television broadcast today at 5 p.m. on Channel 9 when the team takes on the Astros in Houston.

Collins, 39, is making his debut with Steve Lyons and is scheduled to work all Dodgers games east of the Rocky Mountains because 81-year-old Vin Scully limits his travel to games against the Dodgers’ National League West opponents and any interleague games in the West.

This was the role previously handled by Charley Steiner, who is now doing all Dodgers radio broadcasts with Rick Monday.

Collins, who called Olympic baseball games from Beijing for NBC last summer and has done college baseball work for ESPN, is a Cleveland native and a Syracuse graduate who lives in Chicago. He also is continuing his ESPN work, which, besides baseball, includes women’s basketball and softball.

After the Dodgers’ three-game series in Houston, Scully will rejoin the team in Denver on Friday.

Times staff writers Bill Shaikin and Diane Pucin contributed to this report.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com