Perez’s Stuff Is Still Baffling

The Dodgers are still trying to determine the best role for pitcher Carlos Perez.

Assuming there is one for him.

The left-hander was pounded again Thursday in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 8-2 victory before 15,483 at County Stadium.

The Brewers scored four runs in the third inning, taking a 6-1 lead and chasing Perez (5-7), who did not retire a batter in the third and gave up four consecutive hits.

Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz had run-scoring singles against Perez, then Luis Lopez drove in the final two runs with a bases-loaded single off reliever Matt Herges.

Geoff Jenkins, Burnitz and Lopez each had three hits, and the normally light-hitting Brewers totaled 14 against three Dodger pitchers. Milwaukee starter Paul Rigdon (2-2) benefited from the strong support.

So the Brewers (58-75) won the last two games of the four-game series, providing a bad ending to an eight-game Dodger trip that had begun well.

The Dodgers (70-64) had moved within five games of the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West after winning five of six.

Now they return to Los Angeles with a seven-game deficit and facing rotation questions that make team officials uncomfortable.

Perez tops the list.

He disappointed in his second start since returning to the rotation, failing to capitalize on another reprieve from management.

The Dodgers have tried Perez in the rotation, bullpen and minors the last two seasons in a desperate attempt to salvage him.

Perez is owed $7.5 million next season in a three-year, $15.6-million contract that has been a thorn in the Dodgers’ side.

And the pain is only getting worse.

“Well, it was just one of those games for Carlos,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “Sometimes he goes out there and pitches great, other times he gets into trouble.

“It’s kind of a Catch-22 right now. You look for Carlos to go out and do the things he’s capable of doing, but sometimes . . . It’s nothing we haven’t been over before.”

Perez gave up seven hits, including Jenkins’ 25th homer, and was charged with six runs--five earned--in two-plus innings. His earned-run average increased from 5.14 to 5.39.

The Dodgers had hoped for more.

“It was one of those games where nothing was clicking for Carlos,” pitching coach Claude Osteen said. “He’s got to hit his spots, and that wasn’t happening.

“He was deep in the count early on and just not making his pitches. He just really didn’t have much.”

Perez said he was tired after having pitched 6 1/3 innings Aug. 25 in a victory over the Chicago Cubs, and then working 1 2/3 innings in relief on one day’s rest.

“I just felt a little stiff,” Perez said. “I was missing with my location, and they’re going to hit a lot of pitches when that happens.

“But all I have to do is prepare for my next start. I’ll do my work and everything will be OK.”

Johnson said Perez will remain in the rotation the last month of the season because the Dodgers have no better options.

Perez replaced Herges, who worked four innings Thursday, in the rotation because the rookie is needed in the bullpen.

“If I take [Herges] out of the bullpen, it taxes other guys,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a tough month coming up, and I’m not sure we’ve got enough [relief] innings.

“If I move Herges back to the rotation, I’m not sure [Terry] Adams and the other guys can handle it. You [reporters] are looking for me to go to a four-man rotation. I’m looking to find a fourth man.”

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NL WEST RACE

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Team W L GB S.F. 76 56 -- Arizona 73 59 3 Dodgers 70 64 7

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