BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Hand Problem Has Samuel Worried

Juan Samuel could move closer to the disabled list today when his sore left hand is examined and possibly X-rayed for a second time.

Samuel has requested the exam after swelling persisted in his ring finger and middle finger from an injury that occurred March 29 when he was hit by a pitch from the New York Mets’ Anthony Young in spring training.

Samuel sat out his seventh game Tuesday because of the sore hand, and he said he is tired of wondering what is wrong.

“I can’t explain it: The swelling goes down, then it comes back when I take grounders,” said Samuel, batting .264 before Tuesday with eight RBIs. “I want them to look at it one more time, and if it’s fine, then I want to play every day, even though it hurts. If it is not fine, then I want to know, too.”

Because of all the small bones in the hand, detecting small fractures is sometimes difficult, as evidenced by the problems suffered last season by Mike Scioscia, who rehabilitated a sore hand for more than a week before X-rays revealed it was broken.

“I can’t keep playing two days, then sitting two days,” Samuel said. “I want to know whether I can play all the time, or not.”

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda agreed, saying, “It’s obvious that his hand is bothering him. If he’s healthy, he’s playing, but I don’t want to keep using him if he is hurt.”

Kal Daniels missed a rare chance to start with a right-hander pitching Tuesday when he was scratched from the lineup because of a sore right knee. . . . Brett Butler had an unusual message on his answering machine when he returned home after Monday’s 5-4 loss to St. Louis. It was from Lasorda, who told him not to be discouraged about hitting a pop fly with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning. “That is the first time in my career that a manager has ever called me at home,” Butler said. “It was really something.” Said Lasorda: “Guys don’t need me when they hit home runs. Guys need me when times are tough.” . . . After hitting his former teammates hard in his first year after being traded to the Cardinals, former Dodger Pedro Guerrero had gone 78 at-bats without a homer against the Dodgers before Tuesday. He batted .231 against them during that time, with nine RBIs.