Sweet Dream Goes Sour : Dodgers: Davis rejoined boyhood pal Strawberry in Los Angeles, but injuries have turned it into a nightmarish season.

The frustration that has been Eric Davis’ summer emerged last weekend in Philadelphia, moments after Lenny Dykstra’s run-scoring line drive sailed over his head.

Davis walked over Brett Butler in center field and said: “That’s a shame. A grown man can’t catch a simple fly ball.”

What has happened to Fred Claire’s great idea is considered another shame.

“Here you have a great talent in the prime of his career coming back to his hometown,” said the Dodger vice president. “But Eric is not putting up the numbers reflective of the level of ability he has shown.”

The dream was that Davis, acquired from the Cincinnati Reds, would form baseball’s best left-right punch with close friend Darryl Strawberry.

The reality is that Strawberry has punched out after having played 38 games, only 28 of them with Davis.

The dream was that Davis, for whom the Dodgers gave up pitchers Tim Belcher and John Wetteland, would add power that would compensate for the loss of free agent Eddie Murray.

The reality is that Davis has not hit a home run in his last 174 at-bats. With five home runs and 28 runs batted in after the Dodgers’

first 95 games, he is on a pace that will not equal even half of Murray’s 1991 output.

The dream was that Davis’ susceptibility to injuries would disappear under the supervision of the Dodgers’ medical staff.

The reality is that even Dr. Frank Jobe can’t prevent a herniated disk and a separated shoulder. Those and other injuries have kept Davis out of the starting lineup for 36 of 95 games.

And the Dodgers, who once worried that Davis would leave the team as a free agent this winter, may now want him to leave.

But Davis said he badly wants to stay.

“I love it here,” he said. “I love the Dodgers. This is my home. I don’t want to go anywhere, period.”

Davis said he would even take a pay cut to stay.

“I’ll take a one-year deal. I’ll take less money than other places offer. That’s fine,” he said. “It is not about money. It is about happiness.”

Although Davis is only 30, Claire must decide if he is really dealing with the skills of an older player. Scouts say that decreased bat speed has led to Davis’ hitting .234, more than 30 points below his career average.

If Claire has already made up his mind, then Davis could be traded before the end of the season. If Claire is still deciding, then Davis’ production in the final two months will be critical.

Claire apparently is weighing other options, having recalled Henry Rodriguez from triple-A Albuquerque to replace Strawberry. Rodriguez is the only Dodger prospect with a chance at becoming the starting left fielder next season.

But Davis’ teammates, who are his biggest admirers, see him counseling younger players and waiting by the lockers of slumping players who need encouragement.

They see somebody who is always smiling, never demanding, never moody.

But they also want to see more of Davis on the field.

“There is nobody on this team who doesn’t want Eric back,” Butler said. “I certainly do. Nobody plays harder. Nobody is better in the clubhouse.

“But we also want him healthy. And I think the bottom line for the ballclub will be, is he going to be healthy?”

The question of whether Davis would play injured was answered the first day of the season, when doctors diagnosed a herniated disk in his neck.

“They came to me and said that I should rest it for 15 days, then if it doesn’t get any better, I should undergo surgery,” Davis said. “I told them, ‘No.’ As long as it wouldn’t effect my game, I could deal with the pain.”

Davis started nine consecutive games before the neck became so sore he could barely lift hishead. He took three days off and the neck has not caused him to miss a game since.

“When I heard an actual doctor had taken real tests and talked seriously about surgery . . . and then Davis still played . . . I was sold on him,” Manager Tom Lasorda said.

Added Butler: “When he came here, people said he was a dog, and we have seen just the opposite. Nobody plays harder. He plays with such reckless abandon, no wonder he gets hurt.”

Davis contends his only problem is trying too hard because he is playing in front of family and friends.

“I think I have been subconsciously putting pressure on myself,” he said. “I really want to do good for everybody, and I’m not as relaxed as I should be. I’m still fighting it.”

His misplaced intensity was evident in New York earlier this week when he rounded second base after a single to left field by Eric Karros in the eighth inning with the Dodgers leading, 2-1.

With none out, and struggling pitcher Tom Filer in trouble, the Dodgers were in good shape. But when Davis saw the grounder pop out of left fielder Howard Johnson’s glove, he ran for third.

Johnson picked up the ball and threw him out, and Karros was stranded on second base. Then, in the bottom of the inning, the Mets scored four times for the victory.

“I know, I probably should not have gone, but I felt I had to take the chance,” Davis said.

Just as Claire felt he had to take the chance on Davis last winter. Now, will he take another chance and ask him to return?

Whatever happens, Davis said he will be ready.

“I will get stronger,” he said. “I will build myself up more. Maybe that will help. I don’t think anybody in L.A. has seen what I can do yet. I just hope I get a chance to show them.”