DODGERS NOTEBOOK: GRUDZIELANEK IN NEED OF SURGERY.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

It wasn't Mark Grudzielanek's hamstring or back or right hand that kept him out of the lineup Thursday. It was his mind.

After striking out three times and going 0 for 4 the night before against Toronto, Grudzielanek admitted it was time for a rest, and Dodgers manager Jim Tracy acted on it.

However, periodic pain in Grudzielanek's right hand probably will bother him the remainder of the season and the Dodgers second baseman said he will undergo surgery in the offseason to close a leaking capsule that is causing fluid build-up on the back of his hand.

Grudzielanek, showing a bruised and tender hand, had two cysts drained from the hand and received a second cortisone shot Monday to minimize inflammation.

``He's got a little break in the capsule in his wrist that lets the fluid come out and form a ganglion cyst in the back of his hand,'' Dodgers trainer Stan Johnston said. ``We drain it so the fluid in it doesn't thicken and calcify. If that happened, then there would be a bigger surgery at the end of the year to fix it.''

Johnston said the fluid leak results from a weakness or a herniation in the capsule. He added it was unlikely it would heal during the season because of the stress put on the wrist swinging a bat.

However, Grudzielanek said the pain is intermittent and had little to do with his 11-for-60 (.183) slump that dropped his average to .236 and sent him to the bench for a night while Alex Cora started at second.

``I'm getting my steady dose of offspeed pitches, which has kind of thrown me off a little bit early in the count,'' said Grudzielanek, who batted a career-low .271 last season. ``It's something I have to figure out. The approach (Wednesday) was pretty pathetic.''

Third baseman Adrian Beltre sat Wednesday and he responded with an RBI single in his second at-bat. Grudzielanek, who batted .284 in May after a .218 average in April, is hoping a day away also does him well.

``Regroup a little bit before things get out of hand and come back against Boston with, hopefully, a better mental approach and real positive outlook,'' Grudzielanek said.

--Tracy's All-Stars: All-Star selections will be announced June 30, and in the days leading up to it expect Dodgers manager Jim Tracy to call Arizona's Bob Brenly, who will manage to National League team, to lobby on behalf of several of his players.

According to Tracy, closer Eric Gagne, left-handed pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii, right fielder Shawn Green and first baseman Eric Karros all deserve consideration.

Gagne leads the majors with 24 saves in 25 chances and has a 1.25 ERA and Ishii is 11-2 with a 3.54 ERA. He is tied for second with 11 wins. Green is batting .291 and is fourth in the league in homers (21), RBI (56) and runs scored (52).

Karros is second among National League first baseman with a .320 batting average and has seven homers and 35 RBI.

``Our first baseman has been very special to this baseball team this year,'' Tracy said. ``I don't believe he's been on an All-Star team, but he's been a very special player on our team to this point. Very special.''

--Dreifort eyes return: Right-hander Darren Dreifort said he might face live batters within a week, another significant step in his return from a second elbow-reconstruction surgery last July. He added he didn't care whether he pitched in relief or started upon his return to the Dodgers but said he planned on pitching this season.

``Absolutely,'' Dreifort said. ``But your timetable is four months sometime between now and the end of the season. Absolutely, I'd like to be back, but we don't know if it's going to be July, if it's going to be August. There's too many unknowns between now and then.''

--Clark to pay respects: Dodgers batting coach Jack Clark, a member of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1985 to 1987, was scheduled to fly to St. Louis after the Dodgers' game with Toronto so he could attend the private ceremony for longtime Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck, who died Tuesday.

``I owe it to Jack Buck and I owe it to the city of St. Louis with the way they treated me there,'' Clark said. ``He always talked good about me, always helped me and always told me when I was wrong. He's being buried in a military ceremony. There's a lot of people don't know about Jack Buck, how he served his country.

``He was more than an announcer. He was a humanitarian. He was proud to be an American and exemplified courage. I'm going to represent the Dodgers organization.''

Clark is scheduled to land at LAX at 6 p.m. today and plans to be at Dodger Stadium by the first pitch 70 minutes later against Boston.

DODGERS vs. BOSTON

Time: 7:10 p.m., Dodger Stadium.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net 2; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: Thanks to the wonders of interleague play, the Red Sox make their first trek to Chavez Ravine but won't pitch former Dodger Pedro Martinez. Instead, Dodgers RH Hideo Nomo (6-5, 3.81 ERA) faces his former teammates and RH John Burkett (7-2, 3.99). Nomo resurrected his career with the Red Sox last season, going 13-10 with a 4.50 ERA and leading the American League with 220 strikeouts. Burkett said he wouldn't go to the All-Star Game next month if he was elected because of commissioner Bud Selig, but he is 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA this month. Johnny Damon is 6 for 14 (.429) and Rickey Henderson is 7 for 14 (.500) lifetime against Nomo. Saturday - Dodgers LH Omar Daal (4-3, 3.92) vs. Red Sox RH Derek Lowe (11-2, 1.85); Sunday - Dodgers RH Andy Ashby (6-6, 2.82) vs. Red Sox RH Rolando Arrojo (4-1, 2.88).

- Brian Dohn

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DODGERS vs. BOSTON (see text)