BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Goodwin Goes Far to Make Amends

Tom Goodwin made one of the Dodgers’ most spectacular catches this season on Saturday, chasing down a line drive hit by Luis Gonzalez into the gap in left-center field and catching it before crashing into the wall.

“I didn’t see the ball until right before it hit the glove,” Goodwin said, referring to problems with the sun. “I knew where it was going, but I didn’t know where it was, so I just ran. At the last minute, I picked it up.”

Goodwin made a rare start in center field while Brett Butler voluntarily missed a start for the first time this season without being injured. Goodwin hoped the catch made up for a blunder in the fourth inning.

While chasing a line drive by Eric Anthony, Goodwin failed to flip down his sunglasses. This time he never saw the ball, and Anthony ended up on second base.

“Once I start running, it is a pain to put down my glasses,” Goodwin said. “But maybe I should start doing it.”

Goodwin also had two hits, including a bunt single, as he continues a late-season surge that might be too late to keep him on the Dodgers’ list of players to protect in the expansion draft.

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Darryl Strawberry stopped by the clubhouse for an hour early Saturday to have stitches removed from his back. He remained in the trainer’s room until game time and will not join the team again until next spring. He told trainers he was in no pain, and his short walks will accelerate into a rehabilitation program within the next couple of weeks. . . Pedro Martinez will make his first major league start Wednesday in Cincinnati, replacing Bob Ojeda, who will not pitch again this season.