Zeile Streaking Toward Fast Finish

Third baseman Todd Zeile extended his hitting streak to nine games with a second-inning leadoff single. Zeile is batting .424 during his streak to raise his average to a season-best .251.

“I get better as the year goes on,” Zeile said. “I’m a second-half type player. With the April I had [.137 in first 21 games], it was going to be hard to erase those types of numbers immediately.

“The last few weeks I’ve felt good. It’s fun to be playing for something at this time of the year, so your adrenaline and your concentration level rises a little bit.”

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Outfielder Brett Butler, who sat out three games because of a throat infection, started in left field Saturday.

Butler, who has only one hit in his last 19 at-bats, made a sensational diving catch of a sinking line drive by Brian Raabe with one out in the fifth inning.

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Dodger Executive Vice President Fred Claire said Eddie Murray, expected to be called up from Albuquerque when the rosters are expanded to 40 on Monday, will contribute to the club.

“Eddie Murray is like Tim Wallach two years ago,” Claire said. “We sent Tim Wallach to San Bernardino and he said, ‘I don’t want to be judged on San Bernardino.’

“One of our scouts was watching [Murray] in Albuquerque and he told me that the bat is still there. He said that he saw him get on top of a fastball. That doesn’t guarantee a game-winning pinch-hit, but for us it’s a total no-lose situation.

“We’re going to play our last four games at Coors Field. I’m not sure we have enough pinch-hitters.”

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Infielder Tripp Cromer, who went on the disabled list July 31 because of an elbow injury, will undergo surgery Sept. 9.

Team physician Frank Jobe is expected to transplant a tendon from Cromer’s wrist and fashion a ligament out of it.

Cromer is expected to be sidelined for eight months after undergoing the surgery, first performed by Jobe on former Dodger pitcher Tommy John.

“I’m a little nervous about it,” Cromer said. “But it will be all right. I’ve got the best doctor in the world doing it. [Darren] Dreifort and [Todd] Worrell had it done and they throw 97 miles an hour.”

DODGERS’ TOM CANDIOTTI (9-5, 3.23 ERA) vs. MARINERS’ JAMIE MOYER (14-4, 4.1O ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 1 p.m.

TV--Fox Sports West 2. Radio--KABC (790), KWKW (1330).

* Update--Candiotti, 40 today, will make his 14th start of the season. Candiotti, who moved into the rotation when Ramon Martinez was put on the disabled list because of a shoulder injury, has given up three earned runs or fewer in 10 of his 13 starts. He gave up one unearned run and three hits with two strikeouts and one walk in his last start. The Dodgers scored two runs in the first inning of Saturday’s victory over the Mariners and have scored in the first inning in nine of their last 13 games. They are 8-1 in games in which they scored first during that span. The Mariners, who have hit home runs in 25 of their last 26 games, have lost four consecutive games and five of their last six, but they have lost only 1 1/2 games to the Angels in the AL West standings.