Karros Can’t Catch Ashby Napping

First baseman Eric Karros, who stole eight bases in his first 10 attempts this season, might have gotten overconfident.

Karros was thrown out trying to steal home with two outs in the third inning of Saturday’s 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Karros, who singled in the Dodgers’ first run off starter Andy Ashby, took off from third when he saw Ashby turn to look at the outfield.

“I thought I had a pretty good jump,” Karros said. “He just wasn’t paying attention. I thought I could make it.”

However, Ashby quickly recovered and threw out Karros. Catcher Carlos Hernandez did a good job of blocking the plate.

Karros has no regrets.

“If [Greg] Gagne would have come up and got a base hit the next inning maybe I would have second-guessed myself, but he struck out on four pitches,” Karros said.

*

Mike Piazza’s 11-game hitting streak ended after he went hitless in five at-bats.

“I think [Joe] DiMaggio can rest,” said Piazza, who had a career-high 19-game streak last season. “Today I wasn’t swinging the bat well; I was flat.”

Piazza, who reached base on errors by shortstop Chris Gomez in his first two at-bats, flied out to right and grounded out to third in his last two at-bats.

*

Roger Cedeno, called up from Albuquerque on May 21 after batting .354 with two home runs and nine RBIs, looks as if he could become the starting center fielder when Brett Butler retires.

Cedeno had one hit in three at-bats Saturday in his third consecutive start.

Butler, who started in left field, thinks Cedeno, 22, has a bright future.

“I was a Cedeno fan from the beginning,” Butler said. “It’s just him having to relax to be able to go up there and play up to his ability. He’s proved he can do it in triple-A.”

Cedeno, who has hit .375 in his last seven starts to raise his average to .228, had a one-out single in the first inning and stole his sixth base in seven attempts in the ninth.

Raul Mondesi helped Cedeno make the transition to the majors.

“I’ve got more time than him in the majors,” Mondesi said. “Whatever we can do for each other we need to do.”

*

Padre third baseman Ken Caminiti, who sat out his second consecutive game because of a bad back, said he might skip the All-Star game.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TODAY’S GAME

DODGERS’ TOM CANDIOTTI (4-2, 3.04 ERA) vs. PADRES’ SEAN BERGMAN (2-2, 4.72 ERA)

Qualcomm Stadium, 1 p.m.

TV--Channel 5. Radio--KABC (790), KWKW (1330).

* Update--Candiotti, who shut out the Giants in his first start after replacing Ramon Martinez in the rotation, gave up three runs, all solo home runs, in five innings in his last start. Candiotti gave up four runs and five hits in six innings in a 9-7 loss to the Padres on June 26, but wasn’t involved in the decision. The Dodgers have won three consecutive games against the Padres after losing 10 in a row to them. They’ve won a season-best five consecutive games to go two games over .500 for the first time since May 29. Padre right fielder Rickey Henderson became the 74th player in major league history to collect 2,500 hits when he got a sixth-inning single off Mark Guthrie in the Dodgers’ 7-3 victory Saturday. Henderson also led off the ninth inning with a home run off reliever Darren Hall.