Betemit’s Full-Time Work Is Exemplary

So this is what Wilson Betemit can do as an everyday player.

Stuck behind Chipper Jones and Rafael Furcal for years in the Atlanta Braves system, Betemit has blossomed given regular playing time with the Dodgers.

The third baseman was hitting .264 with four home runs and eight runs batted in since being acquired July 28 from Atlanta for reliever Danys Baez and infielder Willy Aybar. Three of Betemit’s homers as a Dodger have tied a score or put the Dodgers ahead.

Oh, and one other thing. The Dodgers are 13-0 with Betemit in the starting lineup after Monday’s 4-2 win over Florida at Dodger Stadium.

“He’s part of the reason that we’ve been able to stem the tide here and get it going again in the right direction,” General Manager Ned Colletti said of the versatile infielder, who can also play second base and shortstop. “He’s starting to develop into a real good player.”

Betemit, whose 13 homers are a career high, said he hasn’t changed anything in his approach since arriving from Atlanta.

“The only difference is now I play every day....” he said. “This is good for me because I’ve waited a long time for the opportunity and now I just have to go out there and play.”

Betemit had led National League rookies with a .305 batting average last season while getting only 246 at-bats and said he figured his opportunity to become a regular might have finally arrived during the off-season when Furcal departed for the Dodgers, opening a spot at shortstop. But then the Braves signed Edgar Renteria, keeping Betemit relegated to a part-time role.

“When they brought Renteria to Atlanta, I said, ‘Well, I can’t control the situation,’ ” Betemit said. “If I had to wait, I had to wait. I cannot do anything about that.”

Betemit’s success with his new team has not surprised Furcal, who said he could spot the talent in his teammate years ago.

“I know he’s that kind of player, the player he is now,” Furcal said. “When you don’t have the opportunity to play every day and then you get the opportunity, you can show who you are.”

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Jayson Werth has been sidelined for so long now that Manager Grady Little didn’t initially recognize the name. Asked whether there was an update on the status of the outfielder, who has sat out the season because of a troublesome left wrist, Little said, “Who?”

Turns out there was an update. Werth underwent surgery Wednesday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to repair a torn wrist ligament that had been diagnosed by a specialist.

Werth will wear a cast for six weeks before beginning rehabilitation and is expected to be fully recovered by the start of spring training.

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Reliever Elmer Dessens, recovering from a sprained left ankle, is scheduled to throw an inning or two Wednesday for triple-A Las Vegas before rejoining the Dodgers on Friday when they open a three-game series in San Francisco.... A day after his 16-game hitting streak ended, outfielder Andre Ethier was out of the starting lineup. “This kid needs a break,” said Little, who replaced Ethier with Julio Lugo in left field. “Against Dontrelle Willis, I think it’s as good a day as any for him.”