Batters Tell Dodgers Martinez Needs Test : Baseball: He will be asked to undergo scan to see if his shoulder is injured in the wake of poor outing.

After pitcher Ramon Martinez was pounded for a fourth time in five exhibitions Monday, the Dodgers plan to ask him to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test to check for an injury in his right shoulder, sources said.

“Martinez is definitely not throwing as strong as he did last season,” said Keith Miller of the Kansas City Royals Monday afternoon. “He definitely does not have his good fastball.”

Martinez, who will be the opening-day starter April 6 if he is sound, gave up a home run, a triple, a double and four singles to the Royals.

In 16 1/3 innings this spring, he has given up 20 hits and nine earned runs for a 4.96 ERA.

“I’ve always looked at Ramon like a gunslinger,” teammate Lenny Harris said. “But now, he’s not the same guy. The balls they are hitting are not good fastballs.”

The man who once struck out 18 in one game has struck out four and walked 12.

He can refuse to undergo the test, as Fernando Valenzuela once did. But Valenzuela’s shoulder problem was never completely diagnosed, and he was never the same pitcher.

“I feel very good about myself, Martinez said. “I feel very strong.”

If Martinez agrees to an MRI and it reveals an injury, he probably would be replaced in the starting rotation by his younger brother, Pedro, who has struck out nine and walked one in seven innings.

“I don’t feel good about the way I am pitching, but I’m working on my curveballs,” Ramon Martinez said. “I just care about the season. I’ll be ready for the season.”

Dodger trainers say Martinez has not sought treatment for shoulder soreness, and Ralph Avila, Dodger vice president in charge of Latin affairs, said Martinez has not complained to him about pain.

“Sometimes people say a lot of things . . . but I have no shoulder problems,” Martinez said.

Martinez also said he was feeling fine late last season, then recently acknowledged that he was suffering the effects of a bruised biceps when he had a 3-8 record with a 5.51 ERA in the last two months.

Because he has pitched more than 200 innings in each of the last three seasons, all before turning 24, some might wonder if last year’s problems involved more than a bruise.

“I remember when Ramon struck out those 18 guys, he was just blowing the ball past people,” Harris said. “It’s tough to say what is going on now. Maybe it is just wear and tear. Maybe it’s just spring training.”

Center fielder Brett Butler agreed.

“He is throwing pitches out there--breaking balls--that he wouldn’t throw in those situations during the season,” Butler said. “He is really just working on things.”

Ron Perranoski, Dodger pitching coach, spent 20 minutes with Martinez Saturday, working on his mechanics. “He went back to his other (throwing) pattern today,” Perranoski said. “He is just throwing too many pitches. He is getting behind the hitters and then over-throwing.”

Said Manager Tom Lasorda: “It seems like his rhythm has been off. I just hope he’s OK.”