DODGERS NOTEBOOK: GAGNE GOES TO HOSPITAL.

Byline: TONY JACKSON  Staff Writer

Dodgers closer Eric Gagne, who has battled an elbow injury all season, was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital on Wednesday with pain in his lower back. He remained hospitalized overnight and is scheduled to be examined this morning by Dr. Robert Watkins.

Gagne has made two appearances this season and remains on the 15-day disabled list with continued complications from the surgical procedure he underwent April 7 for the removal of a nerve from his right elbow.

He still hasn't begun a throwing program that he initially was scheduled to start last Friday, when he was supposed to play catch. That was postponed as a precaution when Gagne continued to feel discomfort in the elbow while lifting weights.

Still out: Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent was a late scratch from the lineup for the second consecutive game because of continued discomfort in the oblique muscle on his left side.

Although Kent was in the original lineup, the decision was made after batting practice to rest him.

``It still doesn't feel good,'' Dodgers trainer Stan Johnston said. ``If you take one hard swing, you could be in trouble.''

Still, Johnston said it is a good sign Kent's pain is in the general area of his oblique, not in a specific location.

Navarro OK after accident: Former Dodgers catcher Dioner Navarro, who was traded last week to Tampa Bay, was traveling with his wife and infant son in Riverview, Fla., on Tuesday evening when another driver trying to make a lane change clipped the rear of Navarro's Ford Expedition, causing it to spin out, hit a curb and strike another car that was waiting at a red light.

The car that struck Navarro's vehicle turned off its lights and sped away and still hasn't been located by police. But while Navarro, his wife and his son all were treated at the scene, none was seriously hurt. Navarro was out of the lineup Wednesday as a precaution.

Also: With less than 24 hours to go in online voting at mlb.com, Dodgers first baseman Nomar Garciaparra had a slight lead on four other players for the final spot on the National League All-Star team. ... Ricky Ledee (left groin) began his rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Jacksonville, starting in left field. He went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against Carolina before being double-switched out of the game in the seventh inning. ... Manager Grady Little hinted that Derek Lowe will be the likely starter for the Dodgers in their second-half opener at St.Louis on July 13. Lowe also started Opening Day.