The Los Angeles Dodgers received some unexpected great news Friday when All-Star closer Eric Gagne underwent surgery on his ailing right elbow. Gagne was supposed to have the second ligament replacement procedure of his career when he met with Dr. Frank Jobe on Friday, which would have sidelined the hard-throwing righthander anywhere from 12-to-14 months. However, Jobe found the ligament to be only slightly torn during the operation and not in need of replacing. He instead repaired the partial tear and cut out scar tissue along the nerves which were causing Gagne pain. The 2003 National League Cy Young Award winner is now expected to miss around six months, which gives him plenty of time to be fully recovered by spring training. "It's great news, and we haven't gotten a lot of great news lately," said general manager Paul DePodesta. Gagne, who converted a major-league record 84 straight saves spanning parts of the 2003 and 2004 campaigns and is one of only three players to record 45 or more saves in three seasons, was a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities this year. The 29-year-old made just 14 appearances, however, and missed the first 1 1/2 months after experiencing both elbow and knee discomfort during spring training.