Dodgers Not Willing to Cut Perez More Slack Efforts

Carlos Perez is on the hot seat again, though the heat isn’t as intense this time.

The Dodger pitcher faces another big start after a poor performance in his previous outing against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Perez isn’t worried, and the Dodgers are optimistic considering his otherwise strong performance recently. But the left-hander must continue to show progress.

Perez’s next audition had been scheduled for today, but Manager Davey Johnson shuffled the rotation after Thursday’s game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field was postponed because of rain. The game was delayed 1 hour 40 minutes, then rescheduled as part of an Aug. 25 doubleheader.

Johnson said Perez will start Saturday against the Florida Marlins at Miami. Perez said he’s eager to return to the mound and prove he’s back on track.

“I’m not worried about that [his previous start],” he said. “I just didn’t have my good stuff.”

Perez was chased after 1 2/3 innings Sunday in a 12-10 Cardinal victory. He gave up eight hits--among them three home runs--and seven runs.

In his six appearances before that game, he went 3-0 with a 3.89 earned-run average. Perez arguably had been the club’s second-best starter during that span.

Perez is 3-2 with a 5.93 ERA. He has struck out 17 and walked nine in 47 1/3 innings.

Pitching coach Claude Osteen said Perez’s velocity and command had been improving each start before his appearance at Busch Stadium. Perez was 2-10 with a 7.43 ERA last season, but the Dodgers were beginning to believe he had turned a corner until Sunday.

“Everyone has to perform, it’s all about performance at this level,” General Manager Kevin Malone said. “Carlos had a bunch of good starts in a row, and then he had one bad start in St. Louis. Hopefully, he’ll be more like he was before St. Louis.”

The Dodgers have downplayed the situation, saying that one shaky outing won’t affect Perez’s standing on the team. However, the Dodgers are considering having Perez share a rotation spot with Orel Hershiser if he stumbles again Saturday and in his next start.

Under one plan, Perez would start only against teams he matches up with well. The Dodgers also might bump him to the bullpen and give Hershiser a full-time starting job for a while.

Of course, Perez could secure a spot in the five-man group with two strong outings. That’s management’s favorite scenario because Perez is making $5 million this season, and is owed $7.5 million next in the final season of three-year, $15.6-million contract.

Another deal the Dodgers made with Perez complicates the situation.

Perez, as a player with five years of service time, can refuse an assignment to the minor leagues. He agreed to temporarily waive his right to reject being optioned to triple-A Albuquerque, and the club agreed to keep him on the 25-man roster until May 31.

The Dodgers said they plan to extend the agreement, but would Perez agree if he’s not in the rotation? The Dodgers would be forced to release Perez if he rejected an extension and refused to return to the minor leagues, and Malone has said releasing Perez isn’t an option.

Perez said his performance will keep him in the major leagues and the rotation.

“I’m not even worrying about that [his previous start],” he said. “What happened in St. Louis, that’s going to happen. It could happen to anybody. Anybody can have a bad day, right?

“You can’t worry about only one start. Two, three, four starts--then maybe you can worry. My arm feels good, and I had a lot of good starts. When you have a lot of good starts, you know you can help your team. Everything is going to be fine. I’ve got nothing to worry about.”