In Defeat, Perez May Have Won

Left-hander Carlos Perez probably earned a spot in the starting rotation Wednesday with his best performance of the exhibition season during a 2-0 loss to the Montreal Expos.

Perez pitched five innings, giving up two runs and five hits. He struck out five without a walk.

One of the hits was Vladimir Guerrero’s solo home run in the second inning at Roger Dean Stadium. The all-star right fielder also had a run-scoring single in the third against Perez, who dropped to 0-3.

But Manager Davey Johnson is grading Perez on a curve because rookie Eric Gagne, the other contender for the job, has pitched even more poorly in Grapefruit League play. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 15.63 earned-run average and is expected to be sent to triple-A Albuquerque before the season starts.

Johnson remains noncommittal about the final spot in the five-man group, but the signs point to Perez rejoining the rotation after going 2-10 with a 7.43 ERA last season.

An announcement might not be made until after the final exhibition game, but an upbeat Perez was relieved after his 75-pitch outing.

“I’m starting to feel more aggressive right now with hitters,” said Perez, who pitched wearing sunglasses because his eyes were irritated.

“I’m starting to feel more confident and I’m not going to keep anything [negative] in my mind. I just have to keep throwing strikes. That’s all I need to do.”

Unable to sleep because of allergies, Perez said he spent about five hours at the Indian River Memorial Hospital emergency room before Wednesday’s start.

“I’m pleased with him,” Johnson said. “The last two times out have been so much better than what I was seeing early.

“I’m looking for improvement, and when I see it go in the right direction, I feel positive.”

*

The Dodgers will headline a six-team meeting in Las Vegas on Monday, checking out the gambling capital as a potential spring training site, but they are not entirely sure of the agenda.

“All we know is that there is a meeting,” said Derrick Hall, the Dodger senior vice president of communications. “We’re still waiting to get all the details. We don’t have them yet.”

The Dodgers are expected to be joined in Las Vegas by officials from the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays.

The Astros and Rangers were previously part of a four-team plan that would have had the clubs sharing a complex in suburban Henderson by 1999. The proposal was killed by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in 1997, however, as a poor investment of tourism dollars.

The Dodgers have trained in Vero Beach since 1948.