Outlook Brightens for McDowell : Baseball: Reliever goes from last-place Phillies to first-place Dodgers.

The first thing Roger McDowell did after being told he was traded to the Dodgers was call his wife.

McDowell said that his wife’s reaction was to say she wanted to go shopping for playoff clothes.

“I hope we don’t disappoint her,” said the reliever, headed from the last-place team in the NL East, the Philadelphia Phillies, for a club that leads the NL West by 4 1/2 games.

Shortly thereafter McDowell packed his vast assortment of practical joke equipment -- firecrackers, masks and wigs -- and prepared to join the Dodgers Thursday.

The Phillies traded McDowell to LA on Wednesday night for reliever Mike Hartley and Braulio Castillo, a highly valued outfield prospect in the Los Angeles farm system.

In addition the Phillies unloaded McDowell’s $2 million a year salary, which goes up to $2.2 million next season.

Phillies general manager Lee Thomas said the Dodgers were picking up all of McDowell’s salary. The money should give the Phillies some leeway in pursuing free-agent talent in the off-season.

McDowell described the trade as a great opportunity.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to help the Dodgers win a pennant. I always liked to pitch in Dodgers Stadium and they have a great organization,” he said.

Thomas indicated obtaining Castillo, 23, was the key to the Phillies’ willingness to give up a reliever of McDowell’s stature.

“We really like Castillo a lot,” said Thomas, who promoted the outfielder from the Double A Texas League to Scranton-Wilkes-Barre of the Triple A International League.

“He’s a young kid with lots of speed. He steals a lot of bases and we think he will help us down the road.”

The Phillies are last in the NL in stolen bases with 51. Lenny Dykstra, who missed two months on the disabled list, leads the team with 16.

Castillo was hitting .302 with 18 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 22 stolen bases and 48 RBIs for San Antonio. He was signed by the Dodgers as a free agent in 1988. His average in four minor league system is .250 with 30 home runs.

He hit only .228 last season at San Antonio and had to leave the club to be treated in an alcohol rehabilitation program.

Thomas said McDowell is a good pitcher but has lost his closer job to Mitch Williams. “We didn’t want to pass up the chance for this deal,” he said.

In Los Angeles, Dodgers general manager Fred Claire said he took McDowell because he wanted a reliever with playoff experience. McDowell has been in the NL playoffs twice and helped the Mets win the 1986 World Series.

“He has been in there in games when everything is on the line,” Claire said. “He can pitch in big games. He will pitch late in the game for us.”

Hartley, 29, had an excellent start this season. In 12 appearances he allowed just one earned run. But he slumped, allowing 11 earned run in his last 11 games.

However, Thomas thinks he should help.

“He has developed a split-fingered pitch that really drops,” Thomas said. “We’ll look for him to work some middle relief and close an occasional game.”

Hartley said that he was surprised to be traded.

“I’m obviously not happy about leaving a first-place team, but I’m looking forward to this opportunity with the Phillies.”

This season Hartley is 2-0 with one save and a 4.42 ERA in 38 games.

McDowell was acquired by the Phillies from the New York Mets June 18, 1989, for Juan Samuel, who now plays for the Dodgers. In his three years with the Phillies, McDowell was 12-17 with 45 saves. This season he’s 3-6 with three saves and a 3.20 ERA in 38 games.

McDowell is a sinker-ball pitcher who gets a lot of ground balls. He should be more effective in Dodger Stadium where there is a grass field as opposed to the faster artificial surface in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium.