BUTLER HURT, DODGERS LOSE : SAN DIEGO 9 DODGERS 7.

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

Brett Butler found his battle with throat cancer last year to be the toughest of his life, and his resounding victory uplifted fans from one coast to the other.

The Dodgers outfielder probably never imagined that in the wake of his medical troubles, middle age would present his career with so grueling a challenge.

Butler lay face-down in the outfield grass for several minutes Thursday night after wrenching his neck and right shoulder on a futile dive for a batted ball. The play resulted in an inside-the-park grand slam home run for San Diego's Tony Gwynn, the back-breaking hit in a 9-7 Dodgers loss to the Padres before 32,400 fans at Dodger Stadium.

But the picture of Butler lying motionless in the field - and what yet another of his injuries could do to the Dodgers' already fleeting hopes of climbing into contention this season - was a much more troubling omen for the Dodgers' prospects.

Butler, in obvious pain as he was helped from the field, was diagnosed with a strain of his neck and shoulder, but there was no immediate report on whether the injuries would keep him out of the lineup for a prolonged period.

The Dodgers had better hope this is nothing serious.

After returning from his cancer treatments last summer, Butler suffered a broken hand when hit by a pitch. The Dodgers, perhaps not coincidentally, played mediocre ball down the stretch and, as playoff wild cards, were swept from the first round by Atlanta.

This season, Butler injured his left (throwing) shoulder while making a throw in the season's fourth week. He was sidelined nearly a month, and the Dodgers went 10-15 in his absence.

Butler, who turned 40 two weeks ago, is proving indispensable to the Dodgers if healthy. As the team's leadoff hitter, he is batting .308, has a .409 on-base percentage and is widely credited with being the catalyst for an offense that sputters and lurches even on its best days.

Normally the Dodgers' center fielder, Butler opened the game in left, as manager Bill Russell benched slumping rookie Karim Garcia. Roger Cedeno started in center.

And Butler broke down on what appeared to be the mildest of physical exertions. With the bases loaded in the midst of a Mark Guthrie meltdown in the seventh inning, Gwynn sent a tailing drive down the line in left. Butler laid out in a dive, missed the ball, and hit the ground with both arms. He didn't move.

The ball rattled around in the corner as Cedeno gave chase from center, and the portly Gwynn waddled all the way around to score - the second grand slam of his career; the second inside-the-park home run.

When Butler finally rose from the ground after several minutes, he left the field walking gingerly, his right arm pressed to his side, his head down, and trainer Charlie Strasser assisting him every step.

The game marked Tom Candiotti's second starting assignment in place of the injured Ramon Martinez - and it was not encouraging.

Pressed into the rotation last Saturday at San Francisco, the 39-year-old knuckleballer shut out the Giants for seven innings as the Dodgers won 11-0.

This time, the shutout effort expired on the game's second batter.

Padres center fielder Steve Finley, who has been hitting at a torrid pace this week, drilled a 3-1 pitch over the wall in right for a home run, and effectively set the tone for both teams.

Candiotti wound up going six innings, surrendering four runs on five hits.

The Dodgers countered the Padres' quick start by scoring two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, as Butler and Wilton Guerrero opened with singles off Sean Bergman and Eric Karros sent a smash off the glove of Ken Caminiti at third for a two-run double.

The Padres weren't done roughing up Candiotti, though - not that their slugfest should have come as any surprise. Manager Bruce Bochy fielded a team that had a combined career average of .359 against Candiotti.

In the third, San Diego loaded the bases on the singles of Rickey Henderson and Finley and a walk to Gwynn. After Caminiti got one run home on a single to left, two others came in on fielder's choice grounders, the Dodgers twice failing to turn double plays.

The Dodgers rallied with a run in each of the fifth and sixth inning to tie the game at 4-4. Mike Piazza and Karros doubled back-to-back in the fifth, Karros getting his third RBI of the game. And, after Cedeno tripled off the first-base bag in the sixth, Garcia got him home with a sacrifice fly to center.

But the Padres weren't finished, as Guthrie opened the seventh by yielding two singles, a walk - and a fateful drive down the left-field line.

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