BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Don’t Blame the Kid--<i> He </i> Can Count

Larry Walker and a kid in the Dodger Stadium stands had an entertaining give-and-take during the third inning of Sunday night’s game.

With one out, the Montreal Expo right fielder ran down a Mike Piazza fly ball and caught it as he crossed into foul territory, ending up against the short railing in front of the first row of seats.

Thinking the side was retired, and not realizing Jose Offerman was tagging up at first with only two out, Walker nonchalantly handed the ball to a boy in the first row. Offerman was around second before Walker realized his blunder, whirled back and got the ball back from the surprised boy.

Once Walker handed the ball off, it was declared out of play, and Offerman had to stop at third base.

Walker, who already had an error in the first inning when he failed to dig out Brett Butler’s line drive double into the corner, earned his second error of the game for allowing Offerman to go to third.

“I’ve seen a lot of things in 25 years in baseball,” said Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, “but I’ve never seen that.”

When he went back onto the field in the bottom of the fourth, Walker took another ball out to the boy.

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Expo Manager Felipe Alou entered Sunday’s game having used reliever Mel Rojas in five consecutive games and said he would have no qualms at all about calling on him for a sixth.

With closer John Wetteland on the disabled list because of a hamstring injury, Rojas, who has saves in four consecutive appearances, is the only reliever in the Expo bullpen who was the stuff to finish close games, Alou said.

“If we need him today, hey, we have a day off tomorrow,” Alou said with a smile. “We ask him, ‘Are you OK to throw today?’ He says yes, then we pitch him. He said he was OK.”

The Expo record for consecutive appearances is six by Dale Murray in 1975 and Jeff Reardon in 1982.