LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers closer Eric Gagne was activated from the disabled list Saturday night and was available to pitch against the Atlanta Braves after he appealed his two-game suspension for heckling an umpire.
"Finally, it's good to have a little something to do with winning or losing," Gagne said.
The three-time All-Star missed Los Angeles' first 35 games because of a sprained right elbow, the one he had surgically repaired in 1997. The discomfort didn't dissipate until he started playing catch for the first time 20 days ago.
Gagne, who owns the major-league record of 84 consecutive saves, landed on the disabled list for the first time in his seven-year major-league career when he hurt his elbow while compensating for a knee injury sustained during spring training.
"It was pretty frustrating, but we're doing good," Gagne said. "So that's the easy part about it."
On April 6 at San Francisco, Gagne was ejected by umpire Bill Hohn for complaining from the dugout about balls and strikes. He was given a two-game suspension 23 days later, pending his return to the 25-man roster.
Gagne was disciplined for breaking baseball rule 3.17, which states that "players on the disabled list ... may not take part in any activity during the game such as warming up a pitcher, bench jockeying, etc." He had been told not to be in uniform on the bench or in the bullpen during games while on the DL.
Gagne, 29, won the NL Cy Young Award in 2003 with a club-record 55 saves and 1.20 ERA. He agreed to a two-year, $19 million contract in the offseason after recording 152 saves and averaging 122 strikeouts during his first three seasons as a closer.
His record streak ended last July.
In three rehab appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas, Gagne retired all 12 batters he faced and struck out seven.
The defending NL West champion Dodgers hardly missed a beat without their closer. Right-hander Yhency Brazoban recorded his first 11 career saves in 12 opportunities with a 1.88 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 15 appearances.
"He's going to be a great closer. He's got everything," Gagne said. "The one thing I tried to help him with is just make sure that he stays aggressive and makes sure he pitches like every pitch is like his last pitch. And it's really helped him."
To make room for Gagne on the roster, the Dodgers optioned right-handed Steve Schmoll to Las Vegas. Schmoll was 1-0 with a 4.96 ERA in 16 appearances.
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