DODGERS NOTEBOOK : THIS RIVALRY HAS BROTHERLY AIR.

It's not just baseball, it's family, and so the brothers Martinez - Ramon and Pedro - duel reluctantly today.

Ramon, 28, will start for the Dodgers, and Pedro, 24, for the Montreal Expos, though Pedro went so far as to request that the rotation be rearranged to avoid the confrontation.

``We're so close,'' Pedro said. ``We're like the same person. Believe me, if I had to give up my career to have Ramon go on, I would do that. You have to know what we lived through to understand this.

``If it was my choice, believe me, I would not be out there.''

The oldest of four brothers, three of whom pitch professionally, Ramon was a second father figure for the family. He set a rigorous standard for Pedro in a youth spent in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

``Pedro's idol is Ramon,'' said Henry Rodriguez, Pedro's teammate. ``He always looks up to Ramon, sees what he's doing.''

Said Pedro: ``I don't want him to lose. I want him to be a winner.''

In fact, when Ramon pitched against the Expos in the past, Pedro would watch television in the Montreal clubhouse. That way, he said, teammates could not perceive him as rooting against them.

Ramon did not appear nearly as anxious about the matchup, though he, too, is uncomfortable about it.

``He's younger than me and maybe he can't handle the situation like I can handle it,'' Ramon said. ``If it were my decision to pitch against him, I wouldn't do it. But we've got to do it.''

During spring training, Ramon and Pedro started against each other, and Ramon singled twice against little brother. In his first at-bat, Ramon stepped into the batter's box and pointed with his bat toward left field - a called home run. Then he bunted for a hit.

There won't be any fun in this, they agreed.

``When you go out there, you have to take care of business,'' Ramon said. ``Forget about everything, like family and friendship.

``I would like to win and I would like my team to win.''

Asked for the ideal scenario, Pedro offered that they both pitch seven innings, ``then get out of there. The tough situation is the decision; it's got to be one of us.''

Add brothers in arms: The last brothers to start against each other were the Madduxes, Mike for the Philadelphia Phillies and Greg for the Chicago Cubs, on July 31, 1988. Mike defeated Greg 6-3. They also opposed each other in a 1986 game, which Greg won.

Mark Leiter, who started against the Dodgers on Wednesday night, has not started against his brother, Al, who pitches for the Florida Marlins.

Also: Brett Butler hit again Wednesday and reported no ill effects from Tuesday's batting practice and exercise program. ``I actually hit the (outfield) wall today, if you can believe that,'' he said with a laugh. . . . Manager Bill Russell, on the needs of the club when rosters expand on Sunday: ``Speed off the bench and pitching for Colorado.'' The Dodgers play three more games in Denver, Sept. 16-18. Last time in, the pitching staff allowed 52 runs in four games.