Eric Gagne uncertain about how Dodgers fans may react

A lot has changed for the former Cy Young Award-winning closer in the two years since he parted ways with the Dodgers. He signed with Texas, was traded to Boston and signed with Milwaukee. How he was perceived in Los Angeles -- and everywhere else in the country, for that matter -- was altered when he was named in the Mitchell Report, which identified him as a user of human growth hormone.

"Even though you say you don't care about what people think, that's not true," he said. "I had so many good memories here. I'm expecting for the best, but I'm preparing myself for the worst."

Gagne maintained his refusal to talk about the accuracy of the passages pertaining to him in the Mitchell Report, which cited former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski as saying he mailed two shipments of HGH to Gagne, including one to Dodger Stadium.

Asked why he wouldn't address the report, Gagne replied, "I don't feel like it."

Asked what he would say to the fans of Los Angeles, he said, "I don't say anything. There's nothing I can say. It's in the past, you know? It's been settled. I don't know what else to say."

What he did know was that pitching in Dodger Stadium wouldn't be the way it was during his brilliant stretch as the Dodgers' closer.

"There were days I was really sore, but the fans really helped me," he said. "I was pumped up with adrenaline. You really had to be in the stadium to feel the energy and the electricity."

What he said he remembered most was the ovation he received after he blew a save on July 5, 2004, to end his record consecutive saves streak at 84.

"I've never seen anyone get an ovation for failing," he said.

Failure is something Gagne has had to cope with frequently this season. He lost his job as the Brewers' closer in May and spent a month on the disabled list. Though Gagne hasn't given up any runs in 10 of his first 13 games since being activated, his earned-run average in that span was 6.75.

On the season, he was 4-2 with a 6.90 earned-run average before Friday.

Furcal in town

Rafael Furcal stopped by the ballpark to share the news that his wife had given birth to the couple's second child, a boy. Manager Joe Torre said he hoped Furcal could return next month, even if it's only for "a little taste." Furcal has been rehabilitating his surgically-repaired back in Arizona.