Call Is a Little Late, but It’s Correct

On a close play at third in the seventh inning, umpire Bruce Dreckman initially appeared to call a sliding Brett Butler safe on a throw from right field, then changed it to out.

The replay clearly showed that Dreckman’s second thought was the right one.

Atlanta right fielder Michael Tucker had picked up the ball on Todd Hollandsworth’s single and fired it to third baseman Chipper Jones as Butler went into the bag headfirst. Butler reached for the base with his left hand, and Jones tagged him on the right elbow.

“I didn’t feel it,” Butler said.

Butler and third-base coach Joe Amalfitano let Dreckman have it, protesting vigorously.

But after they saw a replay, both apologized to Dreckman when they returned to the field.

“You should do that when you know you are wrong,” Butler said. “Who says we can’t get along?”

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Add Butler: “Once you get between those white lines, they are all the enemy,” the left fielder said.

Easy to say.

But on days like today, it’s not so easy to think like that.

Butler will be facing Atlanta right-hander John Smoltz, who lives near Butler’s Atlanta home and was one of 10 close friends who attended a prayer meeting for Butler when he was facing cancer surgery last year.

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Shortstop Greg Gagne sat out his fourth game because of a viral infection that has spread from his eyes into his sinus area.

“I felt like I was in another world,” Gagne said after taking a few swings in the batting cage before the game.

Gagne said he caught the infection from his 3-year-old daughter, Blaire.

The infection came just as Gagne was enjoying the best streak of his career, having hit in a career-high 15 consecutive games.

His streak was ended by Florida right-hander Kevin Brown on Wednesday. No shame there. Brown one-hit the Dodgers that night.

But Gagne had the added disadvantage of playing with blurred vision caused by the infection.

So he finally had to tell Manager Bill Russell that he couldn’t play.

“I don’t like to take myself out of the lineup,” Gagne said. “I hate that. But it’s probably best for the team. And for me.”

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Shortstop Tripp Cromer played despite a bruised wrist, caused when he was hit by a Raul Mondesi line drive in batting practice.

TODAY’S GAME

DODGERS’ CHAN HO PARK (7-5, 3.14 ERA) vs. BRAVES’ JOHN SMOLTZ (8-8, 3.29 ERA)

10 a.m. PDT, Turner Field

TV--Channel 5. Radio--KABC (790), KWKW (1330)

* Update--After a one-day break against rookie Kevin Millwood, the Dodgers go back to facing quality veteran pitchers. They lost to Kevin Brown of the Florida Marlins on Wednesday and Denny Neagle of the Braves Friday. Now come John Smoltz and Tom Glavine to close out the series. Although he has only a 12-10 lifetime record against the Dodgers, Smoltz has a 2.84 ERA against Los Angeles in 27 starts. This season, he beat the Dodgers in his only start against them, 4-2, in May at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers have become confident they are going to get a quality start out of Chan Ho Park most of the time. He has given up five or fewer hits in 11 of his 17 starts. He has only one career decision against Atlanta. It’s a victory, recorded earlier this season. Although he returned as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning Saturday, making his first appearance since spraining his right wrist Wednesday, center fielder Roger Cedeno still can’t bat left-handed because of the injury.