BASEBALL : DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Unhappy Lyons Blames Lasorda

Barry Lyons, the Dodger catcher who has refused to report to triple-A Albuquerque, has accused Manager Tom Lasorda of favoring Gary Carter because they are friends.

Lyons signed with the Dodgers last September and was scheduled to be the Dodger backup this season until Carter was invited to spring training, on the recommendation of Lasorda.

Both Carter and Lyons remained with the team until the Dodgers decided to keep 11 pitchers upon Orel Hershiser’s return. Lyons, who had batted only nine times, was sent down May 29, but has since asked to be traded or released.

“Tommy and Gary are two of a kind,” Lyons said Friday from his Mississippi home. “They thrive off each other. When it came to the catching situation, what was best for the team and best for me was not important to either one of them.

“They’ve got what they want--each other.”

Lasorda responded with surprise.

“I was Barry’s buddy, too,” he said. “I didn’t want to send him down, I wanted to keep three catchers. When we decided to go with 11 pitchers, we had no choice.”

Lyons would like to leave the organization. In his fifth major league season, Lyons says his career would suffer if he had to play behind top catching prospect Carlos Hernandez at Albuquerque.

“I had a clause in my contract that if I didn’t make the team out of spring training, they would have to release me,” Lyons said. “Why can’t they just do that now? Why do they have to bury me?”

Fred Claire, Dodger vice president, said he is trying to trade Lyons, but may be forced to put him on the disqualified list first, meaning Lyons would no longer be paid on his $220,000 contract.

Mike Scioscia will become the Dodgers’ all-time leader in games caught today if, as expected, he catches his 1,219th game and passes John Roseboro on the list.