Tracy’s Not About to Give Up on Gagne

Manager Jim Tracy said No. 5 starter Eric Gagne is merely going through growing pains in his second year as a major league pitcher.

Gagne, 25, is 1-3 with a 5.14 earned-run average and hasn’t won a game since April 19. Rookie right-hander Luke Prokopec, meanwhile, is 6-1 with a 3.33 ERA and veteran Andy Ashby is recovering well from his strained right elbow.

“I don’t want to throw a red flag up about Eric Gagne,” Tracy said. “I think it’s a matter of, you’re still in a growth process with this guy, you would like the results to be a lot better than they’ve been.”

Gagne started the Dodgers’ 11-10, 11-inning win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday but did not get a decision after giving up seven runs, two earned, in 3 2/3 innings. After retiring the game’s first seven batters, Gagne surrendered five runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth. “It’s also something that you have to continue to be patient with,” Tracy said. “I think Eric Gagne, as far as [Monday] was concerned, he has to step back and analyze that situation and say to himself that, ‘You know what, that won’t be the last time that I have a bad inning. But what happens in the subsequent innings, after I’ve had the bad one?’

“I think the thing that I saw [Monday] was that he took the third inning out there with him to the fourth inning. That’s youth. That’s youth, so you learn from that.”

Gagne concurred that his run of bad luck has been partial to one inning, though he disagreed that he dwells on it.

“I don’t think I take it out the next inning,” Gagne said. “I just think I got in trouble. They’re a good team, they hit me pretty good and bad days will happen. I’m still young, I’ve got a lot to learn and I’ve got to go out there and do the same things every day and good things will happen with experience.

“That’s the only things: experience and getting more confidence. It will come easier. Right now, nothing comes easy. Whenever I need the big out, I don’t get the big out and it keeps going like that the whole inning.”

Gagne was, however, relieved that the Dodgers rallied to win.

“I feel like I let the team down when I go out there and do a bad job,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to wake up the next day and see that we won the game even though I gave up seven runs. These guys are behind me, they’re supporting me and they know I’m going through a rough time right now, but I’ve got my teammates behind me. It’s big because we win as a team, we lose as a team.”

Said Tracy: “Eric wasn’t satisfied with what happened and neither were we.”

After taking Monday off from throwing, Ashby played long toss catch Tuesday. Ashby will throw another bullpen workout today and begin mixing in curveballs.

A decision to have Ashby throw a simulated game before a rehab stint could be made early next week.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’

CHAN HO PARK

(5-4, 2.95 ERA)

vs.

ROCKIES’

MIKE HAMPTON

(7-1, 2.65 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 7

TV--Fox Sports Net 2. Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

Update--Park is 5-5 with a 6.61 earned-run average in 15 career appearances against the Rockies. The left-handed Hampton, with his third team in three years after signing an eight-year, $121-million free-agent contract with the Rockies in December, is 2-2 with a 3.79 ERA in eight career appearances at Dodger Stadium.

Tickets--(323) 224-1448.