Struggling Perez Might Get Another Start

Carlos Perez might get another chance this week.

The Dodgers’ struggling left-handed starter, who was sent to the bullpen after his record dropped to 2-8 and his earned-run average soared to 7.38, has been penciled in to start the second game of the upcoming weekend series against the Giants in San Francisco.

“He has been throwing hard and freeing up his delivery,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “But it depends on how things go.”

Johnson said that he hopes left fielder Gary Sheffield, who sat out the entire three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies because of a sore right knee, will be available to start Tuesday night’s opener of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium.

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It must be catching.

Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in his last start, Dodger right-hander Kevin Brown, mistakenly thinking there were two outs, casually threw a runner out at first while a run scored.

Sunday, after Kevin Jordan of the Philadelphia Phillies took a called third strike from Brown for the second out of the fourth inning, catcher Angel Pena emerged from behind the plate and casually trotted toward the dugout before sheepishly realizing there were only two outs.

And then, in the eighth inning, after Pena had recovered from a passed ball to throw out Kevin Sefcik at the plate to end the inning, Brown stared long and hard at home-plate umpire Jerry Meals.

Was Brown anxious about the call?

“I wasn’t sure how many outs there were,” he admitted. “I was brain dead. I stood there to see because I was not going to walk off if there were only two outs.”

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As a youngster, Randy Wolf watched a cable channel hour after hour from his home in the West Hills section of the San Fernando Valley. He knew that if he saw the same commercial come up three times and quickly called the station, he could get a free ticket to a Dodger game.

Wolf’s effort paid off and he indeed got to Dodger Stadium.

He was back again this weekend, getting in free again. Wolf is now a member of the Phillies’ starting rotation.

Wolf has had many thrills in Dodger Stadium.

At Woodland Hills El Camino Real High, Wolf was a member of consecutive City Section 4-A Division champions, pitching in the title-clinching games in 1993 and 1994 at Dodger Stadium.

He went on to pitch at Pepperdine and, since being called up by the Phillies earlier this month, Wolf is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA, 13 strikeouts and five walks in 13 2/3 innings.

The 22-year-old left-hander’s turn in the rotation didn’t come up in this series, but he doesn’t have any regrets.

“It was just awesome walking in here,” he said.

Especially when you don’t have to waste all that time watching commercials.