Team Turns Page on Perez Injury

Team officials are not pressing pitcher Carlos Perez for an explanation about how his mysterious thigh injury occurred, saying they may never know what caused the swelling and pain around Perez’s right knee.

Perez claims he doesn’t know how he suffered the injury that prevented him from starting Wednesday in an 8-2 victory over the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium. Perez and General Manager Kevin Malone have addressed speculation that Perez inadvertently banged his knee on a curb while returning to the team hotel after a night on the town with several Expo players, but Perez and his bosses prefer to look ahead.

“I talked to him and asked if all the stuff floating around is true,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “He told me it wasn’t, and that was good enough for me. Let’s turn the page.”

That’s OK with Perez.

“I didn’t do nothing wrong,” Perez said, maintaining he did not behave recklessly the night before he was scheduled to pitch. “People say things, but they don’t know what they’re talking about. Everybody better stop saying that stuff about me.”

Tests Thursday showed Perez has a soft tissue injury to his right thigh. An MRI exam showed no muscle or tendon tears, and the left-hander is listed as day to day.

Perez, who said the swelling has decreased around his knee, was scheduled to throw off the mound in the bullpen Saturday. How Perez feels after the bullpen session will help Johnson and pitching coach Charlie Hough determine whether to start Perez on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.

“He looked better [throwing off a flat surface Thursday] to me,” Johnson said. “I asked him if he was going to be OK, and he told me he was, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

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Second baseman Eric Young sat out his fourth game in a row because of a strained right calf.

The leadoff batter was forced to leave in the first inning of a 7-0 victory over Montreal on Monday because he suffered the strain while stealing his major league-leading 18th base. Young had hoped to play in the first game of a three-game series against the Florida Marlins on Friday, but Johnson held him out because Young experienced pain while running before the game.

Johnson does not plan to permit Young to play today either. Young will be reevaluated today, determining whether he will play Monday in the opener of a three-game series against the Cubs.

“I know he wants to play, but I’m not going to rush him,” Johnson said. “He’s not going to be able to get on base and not run. He’s just not going to do that, so I’m not going to take a chance with him.”

Young is off to the best start of his career, batting .323 and leading National League leadoff batters with a .443 on-base percentage. How much do the Dodgers miss Young?

“He’s the sparkplug,” Johnson said. “He brings the energy to the lineup--that’s E.Y.”

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Johnson had hoped outfielder Jacob Brumfield would clear waivers so he could be assigned to triple-A Albuquerque.

The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t cooperate, claiming Brumfield on Thursday. Johnson said the move was necessary because the Dodgers needed to make room for veteran right-hander Mike Maddux on the 25-man roster.

“I love Jake, Jake is a gamer,” Johnson said. “I’m going to miss him, but we needed the flexibility of 12 pitchers.”

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Malone and Marlin Manager John Boles are longtime friends, explaining why Malone doesn’t mind Boles referring to him by his college nickname: “Hoghead.”

TODAY

DODGERS’ CHAN HO PARK (3-2, 4.86)

vs.

MARLINS’ JESUS SANCHEZ (0-4, 6.49 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 1 p.m.

TV--Fox Sports West 2.

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

* Update--Park is finally getting himself together after a poor start. The right-hander acknowledged his performance was affected by his contract negotiations, but Park said he has put his personal situation aside for now. “I just want to focus on my job,” said Park, eligible for salary arbitration in the off-season. “I feel very good again. I just want to keep pitching good.” Park has been good recently, winning twice in two starts on the 7-2 trip that ended Wednesday. Park pitched seven scoreless innings Monday in a 7-0 victory over Montreal, marking a season high with eight strikeouts. In his career, Park is 3-1 with a 4.80 earned-run average against the Marlins.

* Tickets--(323) 224-1HIT.