What’s the over-under here for Nomar Garciaparra’s body exploding?

I say three games.

Sunday, that is, if he starts all three in San Francisco. I don’t think he gets through Sunday without tearing/ripping/breaking/snapping something in one of his legs.

The poor guy, who is 34 going on 54, has been going on the DL every time he coughs hard the past three years. And now the Dodgers have run him out at shortstop? Does Joe Torre hate the guy?

Shortstop is the most difficult defensive position in the infield. Lots of running, lots of stretching, lots of twisting. Exactly the sorts of activity Nomar has proven over and again are gonna screw him up, and sooner than later.

Remember when he tore a calf muscle earlier this season? On that one he was playing third base and made just a semi-quick movement to his right, for a foul ball … and limped off the field.

How is he going to survive shortstop, an infinitely more demanding position? When he hasn’t been out there on any sort of regular basis in four seasons?

What’s worse, if he actually gets on base and has to run hard there (as he did Friday) … he’s going to pop something even sooner.

I know the Dodgers are desperate, at shortstop. Rafael Furcal is out for the season, and Hu was a bust, and Angel Berroa is a known Mendoza Line-flirter with no pop and a shaky attitude. And there is a reason Luis Maza is a career minor-leaguer.

But I would stick Berroa or Maza out there and just deal with the 0-for-4 rather than send Nomar out on what is little more than a no-return mission. He might actually be useful as a right-handed hitter off the bench. But not if he’s torn up something else and is back on the DL.

Or maybe the Dodgers are just feeling punitive. “Hey, go earn your $9 million. At shortstop. And count on us waving you home from second on a single to the outfield. Perform or go home.”

Gotta wonder if they’re thinking about that.  And how long Nomar’s prematurely aged body can stand it.

I say no later than Sunday, if that’s his third straight start at SS.