Catch by Roberts Still the Hot Topic

Dave Roberts said his spectacular catch that robbed the Houston Astros’ Lance Berkman of a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning Thursday was especially satisfying because it helped Eric Gagne record a record-breaking 44th consecutive save.

“Eric’s been lights-out all by himself,� Roberts said. “He really hasn’t needed any help all year long, so for me to make the catch and pick him up for a change was huge.�

Roberts’ catch, in which he scaled the incline in straightaway center at Minute Maid Park and warded off the attempts of several fans to grab the ball, remained the talk of the Dodger clubhouse a day later.

“It’s a lot tougher to make plays when you have to fight fans,� right fielder Shawn Green said. “There was a lot going on -- there’s the hill, there’s the fan, there’s the wall -- and to be able to do all that and hang onto it is pretty impressive.�

Green said he asked an umpire what the ruling would have been had a fan touched the ball and was told that it would have been called a home run.

“The umpire basically said it would have been tough not to call it a home run unless [Roberts] was standing there waiting for the ball,� Green said.

Roberts said that considering the circumstances, with the Dodgers in an eight-way battle for the National League wild-card berth, the catch ranks among the best of his career.

“That’s right near the top,� he said. “We’ve been struggling as a team, and to get out of that situation and take a home run away from Berkman was pretty big for us.

“I’m just hoping it can propel us through September, really.�

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Rickey Henderson said his effectiveness and playing time since being acquired by the Dodgers on July 14 have been hampered by shoulder tendinitis.

The outfielder, who made his eighth start of the season Friday, said the tendinitis started bothering him about 10 days after he left the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League.

“The doctor said I could play on it; it was just nagging,� said Henderson, who got an RBI Friday with a bases-loaded walk. “When you got tendinitis, you can’t swing the bat like you [were].

“It’s getting a lot better, so maybe I can swing the bat like I’m capable of swinging again. I’m about 80-85%, maybe more. It’s getting better each and every day.�

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The Dodgers are still contemplating whether to complete a trade before the end of Sunday, the last day teams can add players who would be eligible for the playoff roster.

“Is there something out there that makes sense that would give this team a chance over these final 30 games of the season?� Manager Jim Tracy asked. “I think the answer to that is yes, and it’s feasible that it [could happen].�

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Pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii said through an interpreter that he appreciated the Dodgers’ efforts to make Dodger Stadium a safer environment during twilight starts by using canvas coverings to prevent shadows on the field. Ishii took a line drive off the head last September when shadows limited his visibility and had to have a titanium plate inserted in his skull.... Tracy said he batted Henderson second for the first time this season to put a right-handed bat between leadoff man Roberts and No. 3 hitter Green, both left-handed hitters.... First baseman Fred McGriff experienced soreness in his right knee and did not play.