Andre Dawson was a last-minute scratch from the lineup Saturday night because of pain in his right knee.
Dawson aggravated a cyst on the outside of the knee sliding into third base Friday night. Before Saturday`s game, he said the area was tender but that he felt strong enough to play. An hour later, he was replaced by Doug Dascenzo. Dawson pinch-hit in the eighth and fanned.
”Andre`s right knee flared up before the game,” a club spokesman said.
The cyst that plagued Dawson in 1989 was removed after that season, but he said doctors told him it might return.
On schedule: They don`t call Ryne Sandberg Mr. Consistency for nothing. He came into June hitting .278 with seven home runs and 22 runs batted in. His average career numbers by June 1: .278, five homers and 20 RBIs. He`s a lifetime .307 June hitter, with more homers (44) and RBIs (124) in June than in any other month.
Battery charge: Manager Jim Essian met with his all his pitchers and catchers to work on improving communications among them. ”You`re not going to eliminate all mistakes, but you`re going to reduce them,” said Essian.
Fan hurt: Ten-year-old Jean-Francois Chevalier was hit on the head by a Dascenzo line drive. He was reported to be awake and alert in a Montreal hospital. Doctors said his first words upon awakening were, ”Who hit me?”
