Brown-Johnson Duel Sunday

A duel between of Kevin Brown of the Dodgers and Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks is one of baseball’s marquee pitching matchups.

That matchup was ensured Monday when Dodger left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii was pushed back in the rotation because of a sore hip.

Ishii was scheduled to start tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first game of a six-game trip that will conclude Sunday against the defending World Series champion Diamondbacks at Phoenix. Instead, Brown will start tonight at Miller Park and will be followed by Hideo Nomo on Wednesday and Ishii on Thursday.

The Diamondbacks were off Monday and are also off Thursday. That means the Dodgers’ Odalis Perez will face Curt Schilling on Friday, Andy Ashby will face Rick Helling on Saturday and Brown squares off against Johnson on Sunday in the slot that Ishii otherwise would have occupied.

Dodger General Manager Dan Evans said the Ishii-Brown switch had “absolutely nothing” to do with setting up the rotation for the Arizona series.

“That wasn’t a factor, none whatsoever,” Evans said. “With the day off [Monday] this keeps Brown and Nomo on turn. It really doesn’t hurt our club.”

Evans said Ishii had some mild discomfort before his start last Wednesday against the New York Mets. Ishii gave up one run and four hits in seven innings but suffered his first loss after six consecutive victories.

“It’s nothing serious, but at this time of year you have to be cautious and not push guys,” Evans said.

*

Before they left for Milwaukee, Dodger players said they would concentrate on their series with the Brewers, but they acknowledged that the Diamondbacks were on their minds.

The Dodgers began their season with 19 games against National League West opponents, including six against the San Francisco Giants, seven against the San Diego Padres and six against the Colorado Rockies.

This will be their first games against the Diamondbacks, against whom they went 9-10 last season.

“You can’t overlook teams like Montreal and the Brewers because they are certainly roadblocks,” catcher Chad Kreuter said. “But it will be a fun series [against Arizona].” The Dodgers are confident they can win the series against the Brewers and are optimistic about facing Schilling and Johnson.

“They’re not two guys you want to face, but you’re going to have to face them somewhere down the line,” said catcher Paul Lo Duca, who is nursing a sore right hand.

Outfielder Shawn Green, who went one for 19 in the Dodgers’ seven-game home stand, said he welcomes the challenge of facing two of the best pitchers in baseball regardless of his .231 average.

“I want to see those guys--I like facing the best pitchers,” Green said. “You know it’s going to be some tough at bats, but you go up with the thought that you’re going to be successful.”

ON DECK

Opponent--Milwaukee Brewers, three games.

Site--Miller Park, Milwaukee.

Tonight--5 p.m. PDT.

TV--Fox Sports Net 2, today and Wednesday.

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

Records---Dodgers 25-19, Brewers 14-30.

Record vs. Brewers (2001)--5-1.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’

KEVIN BROWN

(2-3, 3.13 ERA)

vs.

BREWERS’

NELSON FIGUEROA

(1-2, 4.89 ERA)

Update--Brown gave up three runs, seven hits and struck out five but did not get the decision in a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Expos last Thursday. In his previous start, he struck out 10 in seven innings of a 3-0 victory over the Florida Marlins. The Brewers are 11-18 since former Dodger Jerry Royster replaced former Dodger Davey Lopes as manager.

Wednesday, 5 p.m.--Dodgers’ Hideo Nomo (3-5, 4.00) vs. Ben Sheets (3-3, 4.01).

Thursday, 10 a.m.--Kazuhisa Ishii (6-1, 2.70) vs. Glendon Rusch (3-3, 3.73).