Cromer Injury Not as Serious as Feared

An MRI exam conducted on second baseman Tripp Cromer on Friday morning revealed a strained tendon in his right elbow. He also has fluid on the elbow.

It was feared that Cromer, who was put on the disabled list Thursday, might have had ligament damage.

Now, it is hoped that Cromer, who was batting .291 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 28 games, can be back in a couple of weeks.

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Taking Cromer’s place will be second baseman Adam Riggs, who was called up from the Dodgers’ triple-A team at Albuquerque, where he was batting .299 with 11 home runs and 22 RBIs in 47 games.

Riggs flew to Chicago early Friday morning from Vancouver, where the Dukes were playing, but he was still flying emotionally after he arrived.

He got in at 6 a.m. and had to be at Wrigley Field a couple of hours later because it was a day game, but Riggs, the adrenaline flowing, was wide awake.

“It’s hard to believe I’m here,” he said. “It keeps hitting me. Everything’s like a blur.”

When he looked down at the new uniform he was putting on in the clubhouse, Riggs couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“When I saw the Dodgers across my chest,” he said, “I had to pinch myself.”

Riggs figures to be with the club only for the couple of weeks it takes for Cromer’s elbow to heal, and Riggs might not even get into a game during that time. But he still views it as a valuable opportunity.

“I want to see how these guys act, what their routine is,” he said. “I can learn a lot from these guys.”

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Third baseman Todd Zeile says his team has developed an attitude. He hopes success won’t spoil it.

“Some people say it is confidence or arrogance,” he said. “Most winning teams I’ve either seen or been on have had it. We have that air about us.

“But if we build up a lead, we have to make sure we do not let that attitude stop. I’ve seen teams get up a few games and then flounder instead of playing the way they did to get there.”

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Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo temporarily has a Korean translator. Chang Ho Lee, the first man certified to be a trainer for professional baseball in Korea, is observing Dodger trainers at work. While here, he has agreed to help Nomo, who doesn’t speak fluent English, communicate with the American media.

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With 20 victories in July, the ’97 Dodgers trail only the ’63 edition of the team, which won 21 games in July. . . . The only other Dodger teams with 21 victories in a month were the ’62 squad (May) and the ’73 team (June). . . . The Dodgers outscored the opposition, 152-87, in July and scored five or more runs in 18 games.

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TODAY’S GAME

DODGERS’ TOM CANDIOTTI (7-3, 3.04 ERA) vs. CUBS’ KEVIN TAPANI (1-1, 5.25 ERA)

Wrigley Field, 1 p.m.

TV--Channel 11. Radio--KABC (790), KWKW (1330).

* Update--At the start of the week, Candiotti had two concerns: The 39-year-old veteran starter could have been traded, or he could have been on his way back to the bullpen. The first didn’t happen and the second has been delayed. The Dodgers decided to keep Candiotti around for insurance as they make their stretch run. And his return to the bullpen won’t happen for at least a few more turns because ace right-hander Ramon Martinez is still not ready to return to the rotation. Martinez, out since mid-June because of a small tear in the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, has had two rehabilitation starts, but he is expected to take two more, beginning with Monday’s exhibition at Cooperstown, N.Y. Tapani, a former Dodger, will be making his first appearance against his old team.