BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Anderson Ready to Play His Role

Three years after helping the Dodgers win the 1988 World Series with an important reserve role, Dave Anderson appears determined to finish his career with a similar highlight.

Anderson, 31, continued to press for a backup infielder’s job Thursday against the New York Yankees when he laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt, then later hit a run-scoring double.

He had three hits in the 8-5 victory at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., but the Dodgers like him for reasons that don’t involve his batting average.

“He is almost like a player-coach,” coach Joe Amalfitano said. “This is just what you need from a veteran on the bench. He doesn’t think about things after the manager says them, he thinks along with the manager.

“He knows situations, and knows what we like to do in those situations. He can be an extremely important guy to have on this team.”

Thursday, Anderson anticipated the suicide bunt call and turned it into a run-scoring single. Two innings later, he also anticipated the request that he hit to the opposite field, and lined the ball to right field for the double.

“I’ve been around Tommy (Lasorda) so long, I know what he likes to do, (and) it makes it easier,” said Anderson, who spent nine years in the Dodger organization before going to the San Francisco Giants for two seasons.

“I think my value to the team will be in those late-inning situations, when they need a bunt, or need somebody to play shortstop after they have pinch-hit for (Jose) Offerman,” Anderson said. “As a veteran, I think I understand that role better.”

When Tom Candiotti first pitched to Carlos Hernandez in the bullpen last week, Hernandez initially refused to use a bigger glove. After three knuckleballs hit him, he relented.

In his first game with Candiotti Thursday, Hernandez dropped only two pitches with the bigger glove while helping Candiotti post four scoreless innings.

“I learned,” Hernandez said. “It will only get easier.”

But despite his mobility, don’t expect Hernandez to become Candiotti’s catcher. Candiotti still prefers Mike Scioscia’s expertise on opposing hitters.

“With handling the mechanics of the knuckleball, either catcher is fine,” Candiotti said. “But while I am still learning the hitters . . . well, Mike has been great to me in that area.”

Candiotti said he is sorry he must leave the team Saturday night for a weeklong divorce trial in Northern California. But he appears to be almost ready for opening day.

“I told (pitching coach) Ron (Perranoski) I could go eight or nine innings today,” he said after giving up three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. “I once threw a complete game in spring training, in 1987 for Cleveland. After that, Phil Niekro called me and said, ‘What are you doing, you’re embarrassing everybody!’ ”

The Dodgers had five stolen bases Thursday, but only one by a regular, Lenny Harris. . . . Darryl Strawberry, who turned 30 Thursday, celebrated by not making the 2 1/2-hour bus trip to Ft. Lauderdale. He and Eric Davis remained in Dodgertown. . . . Bob Ojeda threw four scoreless innings in a simulated game. After going 4-0 with a 2.17 earned-run-average last spring, Ojeda has yet to pitch in a main spring game this season. . . . Candiotti said he enjoyed Thursday’s game because he was pitching with men on base in three of his four innings. “You need to get back in practice of pitching out of jams,” Candiotti said. “In spring training with Cleveland, I would even walk a couple of guys on purpose just so I could pitch out of a jam.”