BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : If He Can’t Succeed at Third, Pitch?

With his return to the roster less than a month away, Jeff Hamilton disclosed a game plan Saturday that might interest the struggling Dodger bullpen.

He said if the Dodgers do not trade him, he wants to be converted to a pitcher.

“My arm feels great, I don’t see why I couldn’t do it,” said Hamilton, who is considered one of the hardest-throwing third basemen in baseball. “It’s pretty obvious I’m not going to be playing third around here, so I don’t want to get bored. If they gave me a chance, I really think I could do it.”

Hamilton, who is on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his left knee, said that he has already discussed the possibility with Fred Claire, Dodger vice president. Hamilton would probably need to pitch for the Dodgers’ instructional league team in Arizona in October to see if a switch was possible.

“Fred and I talked about it in idle conversation when we discussed my plans after I was hurt, but I’m serious about it,” Hamilton said. “What does a pitcher have to do, anyway? Throw strikes and cover first? I can do that.”

Hamilton has started running for the first time since going on the disabled list June 19, and he could return within weeks.

Gary Carter, who hit .300 during his 19 replacement starts, was benched Saturday as expected when Mike Scioscia returned from the disabled list.

Carter was happy for Scioscia, but concerned for himself.

“I just hope it doesn’t revert back to the way it way it was, when I just played every now and then,” Carter said. “As it is, I probably won’t know what to do with myself.”

To make room for Scioscia, Carlos Hernandez was demoted to triple-A Albuquerque. He played in five games, with three at-bats, since being recalled June 27. But the possible Dodger catcher of the future impressed the team with his attitude.

“I understand that the team is in first place, and Gary Carter knows all the players, so I do not complain,” Hernandez said. “I just sit in the dugout and try to learn.”

Maybe the Dodgers really were cursed during their recent losing streak. Jay Lucas, Dodger public relations director, had ignored a chain letter he received at the All-Star game. He finally mailed it Thursday after the Dodgers had lost seven consecutive games. That night, they finally won. It was no coincidence that he mailed it to the other five clubs in the National League West Division.