DODGERS NOTEBOOK: BONILLA'S SEASON OVER; REHAB PROGRAM TO START.

Byline: Matt McHale Daily News Staff Writer

Dodgers third baseman Bobby Bonilla, hampered all season in his recovery from surgery to his left wrist and left Achilles' tendon, will not play the final week so he can begin a rehabilitation program.

Bonilla, told by doctors last winter it would take one year to come back from both operations, has played sluggishly since he arrived May 15 from Florida in the Mike Piazza trade. He also will work to strengthen a sore left shoulder.

Bonilla played over the weekend in San Francisco because the Dodgers were facing a contending team and went 1 for 9. Before that, Bonilla was on his only hot streak as a Dodger, a 20-game stretch in September in which he batted .315 (20 for 63) with four homers and 10 RBI.

``It's been a long season, but this rehab will really let me know where I stand,'' said Bonilla, who finished batting .249 with 11 homers and 45 RBI. ``If I had sat out the entire season, it would be hard to pick up and begin again next year. There will be a lot of weight lifting and running.''

Bonilla will work out in Los Angeles for a week after the season ends, then will split time between homes in Connecticut and Florida.

Hoffman and Garner: Dodgers manager Glenn Hoffman and Milwaukee manager Phil Garner will be on same field this weekend for the first time since the two were briefly Dodgers teammates in 1987.

``The guy was really tough,'' Hoffman said. ``The first home game I played for the Dodgers was the night he had a fight with Mike Marshall. He was something.''

Hoffman, who took over for the fired Bill Russell on June 22, is not expected to return as Dodgers manager. Garner, a fixture in Milwaukee the past five years, also is in danger of losing his job.

Mlicki back: Right-hander Dave Mlicki, who left Friday's game in San Francisco in the sixth inning because of lower-back pain, will make his final start of the season Thursday against Milwaukee.

``I had the same problem at the end of last year,'' Mlicki said. ``But it was not serious then and it's not serious now.''

Mlicki, acquired from the New York Mets in the June 4 Hideo Nomo trade, has pitched 175-1/3 innings this season, including 118 with the Dodgers. He is 8-7 with a 4.67 ERA. Last year, he pitched a career-high 193-2/3 innings for the Mets and went 8-12 with a 4.00 ERA. He also made 32 starts in 1997. This year he has 29.

Osuna visits: Reliever Antonio Osuna returned to the Dodgers clubhouse for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery on Sept. 1. Osuna, who had bone chips removed, has begun rehabilitation.

During the winter, he will fly every two weeks from his home in Mexico to Dodger Stadium for checkups and should be ready for spring training.

``Everything went really well and the doctors are very optimistic,'' said Osuna, who finished the season 7-1 with a 3.06 ERA and six saves.

SAN DIEGO vs. DODGERS

Time: 7:35 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

TV/Radio: FSW2, 1150-AM, KWKW 1330-AM.

Matchup: In the season finale between these two clubs, Brian Bohanon (7-10, 2.65) faces right-hander Andy Ashby (16-9, 3.34). Last Wednesday, Bohanon pitched eight scoreless innings in a 2-0 Dodgers victory over Colorado. It was the fifth consecutive game he pitched into the seventh inning. In his previous start, Bohanon pitched his first complete game since 1991 but lost 1-0. Ashby was the National League's first 16-game winner but has been stuck on that number since Aug. 12. He has made six starts since then and is 0-3.

- Matt McHale

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BOX: SAN DIEGO vs. DODGERS (see text)