Dodgers Trade Leary and Duncan : Acquire Kal Daniels and Lenny Harris From Cincinnati

The Dodgers, looking for some offense to salvage a disastrous season, traded pitcher Tim Leary and infielder Mariano Duncan to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Kal Daniels and rookie infielder Lenny Harris, General Manager Fred Claire announced late this morning.

Daniels, 25, has been bothered by a persistent knee injury this season and was hitting only .218 with two homers and nine RBIs. Last season, though, the left-handed hitter batted .291 with 18 homers and 64 RBIs, led the league in on-base percentage and had 27 steals. He has had two operations on each knee during his career.

“Kal Daniels is one of the outstanding young hitters in the game today,” Claire said. “We feel he will make a significant contribution to our team. Lenny Harris is a young player who has experience at second base, third base and shortstop, and we feel he will be able to help our ballclub.”

Leary, 30, was named United Press International’s NL Comeback Player of the Year last season after going 17-11 with a 2.91 ERA. He was 6-7 with a 3.38 ERA this year and was shifted to the bullpen this week.

In his final appearance with Los Angeles, Leary walked in the go-ahead run on four pitches in the eighth inning of a 6-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium Monday night. (Story, Part III, Page 1.) He was not pleased about moving to the bullpen.

Duncan, who has spent some time on the disabled list this season, had a .250 batting average with no homers and eight RBIs. He can play second, third, shortstop and the outfield. Harris was hitting .223.

The Dodgers led the league with a 2.89 ERA but trailed first-place San Francisco by 13 games in the NL West entering today’s play because of a woeful offense. Kirk Gibson was batting just .218, Eddie Murray was at .241 and Mike Marshall had just four homers after spending much of the year sidelined with a bad back.

“We wish Tim Leary and Mariano Duncan the very best with the Cincinnati Reds,” Claire said. “Tim was a key figure in our success of last year as he established himself as one of the top pitchers in the National League. Mariano Duncan is a versatile player with outstanding tools.”

Daniels and Harris are expected to report to the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Leary and Duncan are expected to be in Cincinnati for Wednesday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Reds spokesman Jim Ferguson said.