DODGERS NOTEBOOK: QUIET DEBUT FOR GAGNE.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

VERO BEACH, Fla. - It was a long way from Game Over.

For one thing, it was the sixth inning. For another, ``Welcome to the Jungle'' was being played at a volume level the prevailing demographic of South Florida wouldn't find offensive. And finally, it bore no resemblance to vintage Eric Gagne.

Making his long-awaited spring debut, Gagne threw 22 pitches against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, enough to get him through a full inning in which the Red Sox didn't get a hit and didn't come close to scoring.

Ultimately, however, that was about the best that could be said for Gagne, who clearly is still feeling the effects of the strained medial collateral ligament he has had in his left knee since planting his foot awkwardly during a routine defensive drill Feb. 24.

Gagne appeared to grimace with each pitch and was obviously favoring the injured leg, something pitching coach Jim Colborn said he expected to see. The good news is that the season opener remains two weeks away, and Gagne could make his second appearance as soon as Wednesday.

``This was definitely a step forward,'' Colborn said. ``I feel a lot better (now) that he will be ready for the season than I did before he got into a game.''

Gagne began by retiring Kevin Youkilis and Ramon Vazquez on consecutive ground balls. He then walked Shawn Wooten before striking out David McCarty, whom Colborn said would have been Gagne's last hitter even if he had reached base.

``That was enough pitches,'' Colborn said.

The Dodgers lost 7-3 in front of 8,135 at Holman Stadium.

Gagne's mechanics, as simple as he purposely keeps them, are a long way from perfect, a fact that can be blamed entirely on lingering discomfort in the knee. Colborn said that isn't a problem for now, but that it

might eventually become one.

``I want to see both his knee and his delivery get better,'' Colborn said. ``If there isn't improvement, then you do run some risks. I don't think there are big ones right now, but if it continues this way, that's no good.''

--Werth update: Even as he continued to express optimism he can avoid starting the season on the 15-day disabled list, Dodgers left fielder Jayson Werth seemed to allow for the possibility Sunday that he might not be ready.

Almost three weeks have passed since Werth suffered a broken radius bone in his left wrist when he was hit by a pitch from Florida's A.J. Burnett, and he still has swelling in the wrist.

``I think it's realistic that if I can get back and be healthy and move ahead with baseball activity, I can be ready by Opening Day,'' Werth said. ``But is there a possibility I might not be? I don't have the answer to that.''

The right-handed Werth caught balls with his glove hand and took dry swings with a bat for the first time Saturday, with only lukewarm results.

``I could go out there and play with it,'' he said. ``But is that where I want to start from? It doesn't make much sense. I just want to make sure all the swelling is gone before I stop the rehab part of it and start swinging and catching.''

--First day: Barely 12 hours after being traded from the New York Mets to the Dodgers for left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii, catcher Jason Phillips met separately Monday morning with Colborn and bullpen coach Jim Debus, who also is the club's catching instructor.

Phillips figures to spend a lot of time with Colborn in the next few days, as well as a lot of time watching various Dodgers pitchers from the bench and catching them in the bullpen.

``My No. 1 priority right now is helping Jason Phillips develop an understanding of what we're trying to do,'' Colborn said. ``I'm optimistic. I have heard very good things from the Mets about how he handles pitchers and how he calls games.''

Catching is arguably the most difficult position on the field in terms of the sheer volume of what a player has to be aware of and attentive to.

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