BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Hershiser Says He Could Have Pitched

Orel Hershiser said he has had no real pain or discomfort and was “very confident” that the tenderness that led to his missing Saturday night’s start was not a result of his shoulder surgery.

“I could have pitched, but we wanted to break the recent cycle where every four days I relive some tenderness and stiffness,” he said. “It goes down enough to pitch, then I irritate it again. I’m tired of spinning my wheels at this five and six inning bit.”

Hershiser is 5-2 with a 4.19 earned-run average. He is averaging five innings for his 17 starts and has failed to get past the sixth in the past three. He said he was hopeful that the extra time would allow him to shake the problem.

“With a little extra rest and a little more treatment he should be fine,” physical therapist Pat Screnar said. “This is strictly a precautionary move. There’s no sense pushing it at this point.”

Hershiser is expected to throw off the mound Monday or Tuesday and is tentatively scheduled to start Friday in Pittsburgh.

Shortstop Alfredo Griffin, who has been on the disabled list with a fractured cheekbone since Aug. 5, will be activated for today’s game. . . . With the lifting of the 25-player limit today, the Dodgers announced they were bringing up pitchers Dennis Cook and John Wetteland, first baseman Eric Karros, catcher Carlos Hernandez and outfielder Tom Goodwin. . . . Third baseman Jeff Hamilton, on the disabled list since June 19 with a torn ligament in his left knee, said he may return to competition in the Arizona Instructional League this winter. The knee still isn’t ready for the quick movements of a game situation, Screnar said.