Policy Changes on Twilight Games

A line drive off the bat of Houston’s Brian Hunter hit pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii in the head last Sept. 8, fracturing Ishii’s skull and forcing surgery during which a small titanium plate was inserted in his head.

Ishii couldn’t see the ball because of shadows on the field at Dodger Stadium, so the Dodgers said they would no longer have twilight starts late in the season.

However, after studying the situation in the off-season, the Dodgers believe they have solved their shadow problem through the use of canvas coverings to block light.

Games against Colorado and Houston on Sunday and Monday, respectively, are scheduled to start at 5 p.m.

“Because of the danger factor involved for the pitchers, we were not going to have games in September at that time where the sunshine cuts across the field,” said Derrick Hall, senior vice president. “However, we did an extensive study to find out where that light was coming from, we isolated that area and put a plan in place to prevent that hazard.”

Doug Duennes, vice president of stadium operations, said the club conducted several tests to determine the angle of light hitting the field during twilight starts.

The Dodgers determined that upper-level areas of the ballpark needed to be covered to reduce shadows near the mound, and then had canvas covers designed for their needs.

The covers are attached manually to the roof of the reserve-level seats on the third-base side of the stadium, and along a sidewall on the red level, Duennes said.

“Its really pretty simple,” he said. “We’ll put it up for the [5 p.m.] starts, and also for games at this time of year at 1 p.m. as well.”

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Closer Eric Gagne was a fan of the Montreal Expos during his childhood, and he’s pleased that they’re succeeding, despite numerous off-field challenges.

The Expos have won five in a row and are tied for the National League wild-card lead, which doesn’t surprise Gagne.

But the Montreal native still hopes they finish behind the Dodgers.

“I’ve watched the Expos since I was 3 years old, I’ve always gone to the games, and I know there are a lot of baseball fans there,” Gagne said. “They’ve been struggling for so long, but they’ve got a good team.

“If they got it [the wild-card berth], it really would be great for the city and the team. It would be nice for them, but I don’t want it to happen this year.”

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General Manager Dan Evans has been watching triple-A Las Vegas this week to determine which pitchers to promote when rosters are expanded Monday.

Many baseball-operations officials said the 51s lacked position players to help the Dodgers in their pursuit of the wild-card berth, which was bad news for Daryle Ward and Joe Thurston.

Infielder-outfielder Ward, guaranteed $1.35 million this season, infuriated the Dodgers with his laid-back attitude and poor production, prompting his demotion July 24.

The Dodgers anointed Thurston as the everyday second baseman last winter, but their two-time minor league player of the year struggled in spring training. He has not played in the majors this season.

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The Dodgers will conduct an Eric Gagne look-alike contest Sunday during the Viva Los Dodgers festival, which celebrates Los Angeles’ Latino heritage. The winner will meet Gagne before Sunday’s game against the Rockies.

ON DECK

Opponent -- Colorado Rockies, three games.

Site -- Dodger Stadium.

TV -- Channel 13 today and Saturday.

Radio -- KFWB (980), KWKW (1330).

Records -- Dodgers 68-64, Rockies 65-71.

Record vs. Rockies -- 6-7.

Tonight, 7 p.m. -- Kevin Brown (12-7, 2.15) vs. Cory Vance (1-0, 4.91).

Saturday, 7 p.m. -- Kazuhisa Ishii (9-5, 3.35) vs. Denny Stark (2-2, 5.93).

Sunday, 5 p.m. -- Odalis Perez (10-10, 4.76) vs. Darren Oliver (10-9, 5.10).