BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : Correa’s Sport Collides With Life

Ramser Correa’s religion has cost him friends. It has cost him $250,000. And, now it may cost him his lifelong dream of pitching in the major leagues.

Correa, a Dodger pitcher, also is a Seventh Day Adventist.

His religion mandates that he stay home and pray from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

It already has caused him to miss two days of practice.

“If it comes down to my religion or making the major leagues,” Correa said, “the major leagues will have to go. It’s not that I don’t love the game, but I’m not going to sacrifice my beliefs.”

Correa, 25, recognizes that few teams are interested in a bullpen closer who not only would miss every Friday night game, but Saturday day games.

“I understand this is a business,” Correa said, “and something like this can hurt you. It depends on how an organization and manager looks at it.

“I remember when I was in the Milwaukee organization, they always told me, ‘You could make the big leagues, but . . .’ There was always that ‘but.’ ”

Correa, the younger brother of Edwin Correa, a former major league starter who now is a Dodger minor league coach, saved 17 games last season at double-A San Antonio.

“We’re aware of Ramser’s situation,” said Fred Claire, executive vice president. “It hasn’t been a factor for us. We’ll just see how it all works out.”

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Infielder Chad Fonville strained his right hamstring running to first base during the team’s first intrasquad game of the spring. . . . Center fielder Brett Butler, who has a sprained left pinkie, played catch and will start hitting again today. He is expected to play in Wednesday’s intrasquad game. . . . First baseman Eric Karros (hamstring), outfielder Roger Cedeno (back) and catcher Carlos Hernandez (knee) did not play.