Perez, Santangelo Drop Appeals

And then there was one.

A day after catcher Chad Kreuter began serving an eight-game suspension ordered against him after a brawl with fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago, pitcher Carlos Perez and outfielder F.P. Santangelo said Thursday they have dropped their appeals and will serve five-game suspensions.

Left fielder Gary Sheffield, also facing a five-game suspension, is the only player who still plans to appeal. Sheffield is scheduled to go before Commissioner Bud Selig in Atlanta next week.

“If I’ve got the choice to spend the [All-Star break] with my family or a bunch of nerds in ties who won’t listen to me, I’m going to spend it with my family,” said Santangelo, who is expected to begin serving the suspension July 22. “But I still feel I’ve done nothing wrong. I was just being a good teammate.”

Perez, expected to sit out starting July 16, also said he didn’t want to give up his break.

“If [the appeal hearing] was in L.A. I would do it, but I’m not going to Atlanta,” the left-hander said. “You’ve only got three days.”

Perez and Santangelo owe $5,000 in fines.

*

The Dodgers are still evaluating spring training proposals.

The club will either remain in Vero Beach, Fla., or move to a proposed multiteam complex in Las Vegas.

“Nothing is decided yet,” said Derrick Hall, senior vice president. “We continue to negotiate and remain in contact with each of the teams in the Las Vegas proposal, as we continue to work with officials from Indian River County on a finalized plan for Vero Beach.”

ON DECK

* Opponent--Seattle Mariners, three games.

* Site--Safeco Field.

* Tonight--7.

* TV--Channel 5 every game.

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

* Records--Dodgers 43-40, Mariners 49-34.

* Record vs. Mariners (1999)--3-0.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’

CARLOS PEREZ

(4-4, 5.30 ERA)

vs.

MARINERS’

FREDDY GARCIA

(2-1, 7.00 ERA)

* Update--A bench-clearing brawl occurred between the teams last season as the Dodgers completed a three-game interleague series sweep with a 14-3 victory at Dodger Stadium. Bullpen coach Rick Dempsey was hit hardest, being suspended for 17 days. Catcher Todd Hundley was suspended for three games and pitcher Jamie Arnold for five, though Arnold was not among the players ejected after the incident. Hundley was fined $2,500, and Dempsey and Arnold were each fined $1,000. Four Mariners were suspended.

* Saturday, 6 p.m.--Eric Gagne (1-4, 4.55) vs. Aaron Sele (10-3, 4.21).

* Sunday, 1:30 p.m.--Chan Ho Park (9-5, 4.34) vs. Jamie Moyer (7-3, 4.70).