BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Injured Scioscia Returns to Lineup--for a Moment

When the Dodger lineup card was posted in the dugout several hours before Saturday’s game against the Braves, the No. 7 spot was left was blank.

After watching catcher Mike Scioscia take batting practice, Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda inserted Scioscia into the seventh spot, which would have marked the first time that Scioscia had started a game since he suffered a bruised right hand June 25. However, Scioscia was scratched from the lineup 10 minutes before the start of the game.

Scioscia had been limited to pinch-hitting duty and had only one at-bat, striking out during Thursday night’s loss at San Diego.

Scioscia, who had a cortisone shot Friday, hadn’t been expected back until after the All-Star break.

“It feels much better,” Scioscia said of his hand. “I think (the cortisone shot) helped. There’s a little pain, but I think I can function with it. I’d like to start and get back in the game.”

Catcher Gary Carter, who suffered a bruised right thumb Thursday night at San Diego, said the injury hasn’t affected his throwing.

“When it first happened I thought I might have broken the tip of it, but it just numbed it a little,” Carter said. “It’s fine.”

Carter said the thumb isn’t responsible for his failure to throw out the last seven base runners who have tried to steal against him.

“It has nothing to do with it,” Carter said. “They just got some good jumps, that’s all. It’s just one of those things.”

Darryl Strawberry said he won’t reconsider his decision not to play in Tuesday night’s All-Star game at Toronto.

“I’d rather stay home and rest and not have to do a lot of extra activities,” Strawberry said. “I’m just coming off the disabled list and I’m just starting to feel better. I want to avoid trying to do too much. I just want to get myself ready for the second half of the season.”

Does Strawberry have any regrets about missing the All-Star game?

“The only thing I’ll probably miss is seeing the SkyDome,” Strawberry said. “But who knows, I might end up there one day, too. You never know.”

After drawing a one-out walk in the second inning, Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser stole second. It marked the first time that a Dodger pitcher had stolen a base since Hershiser did it in a game against the Braves at Atlanta on June 8, 1987.