BASEBALL : DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Butler’s Best Hits Came in Privacy

While the Dodgers handled their recent hitting slump outwardly with composure, in the solitude of the dugout tunnel it was a different story.

After striking out in the sixth inning of Monday’s 5-1 loss, Brett Butler beat up a trash can with his bat. The noise was heard throughout the Dodgers’ dugout, and many of teammates did not believe it was him.

“Yeah, that was me,” Butler admitted. “I think everyone was a little surprised about it. . . . I think they thought it was Tim Belcher.”

In the aftermath of Sunday’s perfect game by the Montreal Expos’ Dennis Martinez, the most embarrassed Dodger was Chris Gwynn.

Contrary to locally published reports and nationally televised reports, Gwynn did not make the last out in baseball’s last two perfect games. He flied out to end Sunday’s 2-0 loss, but he was on the bench when the Cincinnati Reds’ Tom Browning threw a perfect game against the Dodgers on Sept. 16, 1988.

For the record, the last out in Browning’s perfect game was made by former Dodger infielder Tracy Woodson.

Jeff Hamilton ran the bases and took a strong batting practice, setting the stage for a minor league rehabilitation assignment. “The knee still feels a little foreign to him, and it probably will continue to feel that way for a while, but it still feels good, and we were very impressed,” therapist Pat Screnar said.