PAINFUL FAREWELL FOR ALVAREZ RETIRING RELIEVER HIT ON THE HAND IN LOSS ARIZONA 4, DODGERS 3.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

It was hardly a fitting sendoff for a retiring warrior, consummate professional and class act with 17 major-league seasons behind him. There was no standing ovation and no tip of the cap, and if there were tears streaming down Wilson Alvarez's face, they were only there because of the excruciating pain he was in.

In a game in which the Dodgers lost 4-3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks in front of 46,424 and in what almost certainly will be his final appearance at Dodger Stadium, Alvarez came on to face former teammate Shawn Green to begin the seventh on Wednesday night. Green responded with a comeback liner. Alvarez tried to dodge it, but it struck two fingers on his pitching hand.

He left the game immediately and was taken for X-rays, which were negative. But with bruises to his ring and little fingers, Alvarez isn't likely to pitch in tonight's home finale and might not appear in this weekend's season-ending series in San Diego, either.

The curtain has likely come down on a career that includes 102 victories, a 3.96 ERA and stints with five different major-league clubs. Alvarez announced earlier this summer he would walk away from the final year of his contract, which would have paid him $2 million in 2006.

The Dodgers led 3-2 through seven innings, but that disappeared in the eighth, when Yhency Brazoban entered the game. He immediately walked Craig Counsell to begin the inning, then served up a gopher ball to Luis Gonzalez, all before he had retired a batter. That left Brazoban in danger of becoming the first Dodgers reliever to reach double digits in losses since Roger McDowell in 1992.

--Notes: When the Dodgers acquired Jose Cruz Jr. from Boston on Aug. 9, it was with the thought he could help offset the absence of the injured J.D. Drew for the rest of the year. But there was nothing about Cruz's statistics to that point in the season - a .213 average, 12 homers and 28 RBI with Arizona and the Red Sox - that suggested he would be a long-term fixture in Los Angeles. Seven weeks later, that has changed. The Dodgers now view Cruz as a potential everyday outfielder for them next season. ``I think he has done a terrific job for us,'' Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said. ``He's a valuable defensive player, and I think he can be a capable offensive player, which he has certainly shown for us. I definitely think we would have interest in bringing him back.'' The switch-hitting Cruz entered Wednesday's game with Arizona batting .322 for the Dodgers, with six homers and 22 RBI in 143 at-bats. From the right side, he was hitting a mind-boggling .545 (18 for 33). And he has done it all while playing through a bulging disc that has bothered him all season and won't fully heal until he has time to rest it. ... Baseball America has named the Dodgers' Double-A Jacksonville affiliate, which won the Southern League title, this season's Minor League Team of the Year.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

4 boxes

Box:

(1) DODGERS vs. ARIZONA

- Tony Jackson

(2) GAME RECAP

(3) HOW THE RUNS SCORED

(4) ALMANAC