Butler Tests His Stamina With Start

Brett Butler, who has made a remarkable recovery after undergoing throat cancer surgery last May, played in his third consecutive game Sunday, going hitless in two at-bats with a pair of walks.

Butler made a nice running catch on Trey Beamon’s fly ball in the third.

Butler said he wasn’t abnormally tired.

“I wouldn’t have played if I didn’t think I could play,” Butler said. “It was a day game after a night game and it was kind of a test. I was a little tired later, but that’s no excuse.

“You just get a little fatigued coming back after a night game, it has nothing to do with the fact that I’ve been gone or I’ve got cancer.”

“If I get to be a detriment to this club, I won’t play.”

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Catcher Mike Piazza extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a homer and two singles. Piazza, who has a league-high .349 batting average, is batting .418 (23 for 55) with three home runs, five doubles, 10 runs batted in and 11 runs during his streak.

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The Dodger-Pirate series matched two of the leading candidates for rookie of the year--Dodger outfielder Todd Hollandsworth against Pirate catcher Jason Kendall.

Kendall is hitting .304 with two homers and 39 RBIs. Hollandsworth is hitting .288 with 10 homers and 54 RBIs.