BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS

On almost any other team, Carlos Hernandez could be a starting catcher. But with Mike Piazza as a teammate, there’s no chance.

Hernandez is batting .286 in the seven games he has started this season. Overall, he’s hitting .259 with one home run in 27 at-bats. Piazza has started the other 58 games and is batting .346 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs.

During the sixth inning of Friday’s start, Hernandez strained his left side while throwing to second base. He didn’t report the injury to team trainers because he didn’t want to leave the game. But during an at-bat in the ninth inning, the injury prevented him from swinging and he was replaced by Piazza.

“It’s my dream to be here, and I would like to be the No. 1 catcher and I always was before I got here,” Hernandez said. “But I can’t let my head go down or that wouldn’t be good. Mike is playing so well. I’m patient.”