Their Campaign Style Is More Laid-Back

The Dodgers have no plans to plaster billboards with ads promoting Shawn Green or Eric Gagne for most valuable player. Nor will they send out a flood of e-mails, as the Cincinnati Reds have done for rookie-of-the-year candidate Austin Kearns.

That’s not to say the Dodgers won’t push their players for major awards. They’ll simply be subtle about it.

“Historically, we’ve shied away from big advertising campaigns,” said Derrick Hall, the team’s senior vice president for communications. “We try to make sure we don’t treat those awards like the Heisman Trophy because that could backfire and turn sour on the players. It is our job to indicate to the media and fans how our players are doing, because we’re on the West Coast and a lot of writers don’t see our guys.”

The Dodgers will try to accomplish that by supplementing the information they provide on award candidates in their game notes, which are distributed to home and visiting writers, and by urging broadcasters to extol players’ merits. They also encourage players to discuss teammates’ award candidacies.

Hall credited a subtle push with helping outfielder Todd Hollandsworth win the rookie-of-the-year award in 1996. The Dodgers reprinted quotes from baseball people that were complimentary to Hollandsworth, hoping writers who vote for postseason awards would remember those observations when they cast their ballots.

Green said an MVP campaign would be flattering, but it’s not his main concern.

“It would obviously be an honor,” Green said. “It’s just nice to be considered.... The success I’ve had is a result of having guys on base and driving them in. It all works together.”

If he voted, he’d consider several players. “Barry Bonds is having a great year, [Houston’s Lance] Berkman,” he said. “[Albert] Pujols is having a great year too.”

*

Chad Kreuter will catch Kazuhisa Ishii today because Manager Jim Tracy wants to give Paul Lo Duca a day off before the coming series against the San Francisco Giants. Tracy also said Tyler Houston will start at first base today in place of Eric Karros because Houston has had success against Astro starter Roy Oswalt. Houston is five for eight against Oswalt.

*

Tickets for the division series will go on sale Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at Dodger Stadium, with wristbands to be distributed at 7:30 a.m. At 8:30 a.m., a drawing will be held to determine the order of the ticket line. Tickets can also be purchased by calling (323) 224-1448 or through www.dodgers.com.

*

The starting time of today’s game was moved back to accommodate the Los Angeles Triathlon, whose contestants will run through the Elysian Park area.

*

TODAY

DODGERS’

KAZUHISA ISHII

(14-9, 4.18 ERA)

vs.

ASTROS’

ROY OSWALT

(18-6, 2.85 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 4 p.m.

TV--Channel 13.

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

Update--Ishii has yielded three runs or fewer in 20 of his 27 starts this season. However, he’s 3-7 in his last 13 starts, despite giving up three earned runs or fewer in nine of those games.