Karros, for One, Likes Status Quo

Was it a good thing the Dodgers, despite a lot of conversations, didn’t make a trade before Thursday’s deadline for doing so without waivers?

“If it meant not trading me, yeah,” said first baseman Eric Karros, the focal point of trade speculation earlier.

Dodger executive vice president Fred Claire acknowledged he was talking trade all Thursday. But did he ever come close to consummating a deal?

“In deals, you never know what close really is,” Claire said. “It was a busy day on the phone. . . . But you never know what the guy on the other end is thinking.”

Claire’s thinking, ultimately, was that he wasn’t going to tinker with the success of a club that Thursday moved into a tie for the division lead.

“We feel we have the team to get into the postseason,” he said.

Nor, Claire said, was he about to deal simply because the San Francisco Giants obtained three veteran pitchers in a Thursday trade.

“We operate within our own boundaries,” he said. “It is in the best interests of our team not to react to what somebody else does.”

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When second baseman Tripp Cromer was put on the disabled list Thursday because of a strained right elbow, infielder Adam Riggs was called up from the team’s triple-A team in Albuquerque.

Cromer hurt the elbow two weeks ago, tried to ignore the problem and not mention it, but finally had to give in as the pain worsened.

He admitted to club officials last Sunday that his elbow was aching. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI today.

“I first felt something in Florida,” said Cromer, who is batting .291 with four home runs and 20 RBI in 28 games. “I didn’t say anything and tried to play through it because we were going so good.

“I figured it would get better, but it has gotten worse.”

Specifically, what does the elbow prevent Cromer from doing?

“Throwing,” he said, “hitting and sleeping.”

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Ace right-hander Ramon Martinez, who went 3 2/3 innings Wednesday night in his second rehabilitation assignment, will work six innings, if all goes well, in Monday’s Hall of Fame exhibition game at Cooperstown, N.Y., against the San Diego Padres.

But, his manager, Bill Russell, figures Martinez, who has been out since mid-June because of a small tear in the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, probably will need a fourth rehab game before returning to the starting rotation.

“We really want to make sure he’s all right,” Russell said.

When Martinez was originally hurt, it was feared he might be lost for the season.

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The Cubs’ problems obviously haven’t dampened the enthusiasm of their faithful fans.

While across town Chicago White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf signaled he has given up on his team by trading away a large chunk of the pitching staff and designated hitter Harold Baines for young prospects, the Cubs, despite losing their eighth straight to remain solidly last in the NL Central, drew 39,145 Thursday night.

That’s the largest crowd for a night game at Wrigley Field this season and the Cubs’ third-largest crowd overall this season.

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TODAY’S GAME

DODGERS’ HIDEO NOMO (9-8, 3.76 ERA) vs. CUBS’ JEREMI GONZALEZ (7-4, 3.68 ERA)

Wrigley Field, 12:20 p.m.

Radio--KABC (790), KWKW (1330).

* Update--The Dodgers may be tied for first after chasing the San Francisco Giants since April 14, but, if they hope to win the division, they probably have to achieve one more elusive goal. They must learn to win consistently on the road. Despite having won 20 of their last 27 overall, they are still only 23-26 away from home. No matter what Hideo Nomo does today on the mound, the Dodgers are just thrilled he is there at all. When he was hit by a line drive last Saturday just above the elbow on his throwing arm, team officials and trainers kept stressing that if the ball had landed a few inches lower, Nomo’s throwing ability might have been severely affected. He didn’t throw another pitch that night, coming out as a precautionary measure. But he has had no pain or problems since and the Dodgers are expecting him to be at full strength in this second game of a four-game series.