Perez Moves Up in the Rotation

With an off day Monday after this weekend’s series against the Padres, Dodger Manager Jim Tracy will bypass Kevin Beirne in the rotation and come back with Odalis Perez on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies.

Tracy is also considering bringing Hideo Nomo, who is pitching tonight, back Wednesday in Andy Ashby’s spot, cutting Nomo’s normal four days of rest by one.

Tracy had speculated about bumping Ashby even before his dismal performance in Friday’s game.

“It’s not totally my decision,” Tracy said. “It depends on how [Nomo] would feel with a short rest. If he doesn’t feel he could be effective doing it, it’s a moot point. Right now, he doesn’t have strong feelings either way. If and when the time comes, he may have different feelings. We may have different feelings.

“We have to have some sensibility. He [Nomo] has thrown 132 pitches and 113 in his last two games. The guy is a workhorse. The question is how far we can go without pushing the envelope too much. It may not work out. It looks good on paper, but the physical part may just not work out.”

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With pitchers Kevin Brown and Kazuhisa Ishii out for the season because of injuries and nine days remaining in the regular season, Tracy is determined to keep his top two pitchers--Nomo and Perez--on the mound as much as possible.

Tracy studies pitch counts, performance charts and consults constantly with pitching coach Jim Colborn. But how about the pitchers? What influence do they have? Could Tracy be talked into or out of a decision by one of them?

“If there is doubt in my mind,” Tracy said, “if I’m teetering, there are three pitchers I would enter into a conversation with--Ashby, Nomo and Odalis Perez. These are veteran guys. They’ve been through the wars.”

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TONIGHT

DODGERS’

HIDEO NOMO

(15-6, 3.32 ERA)

vs.

PADRES’

JAKE PEAVY

(6-7, 4.55 ERA)

Qualcomm Stadium, 7

TV--Channel 13.

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

Update--All that need be said about Nomo is that Tracy wants to use him on three days’ rest. And more often if he could. The Dodgers had their doubts about Nomo when they signed him as a free agent in the off-season, remembering all too well how he had struggled at the end of his first stint with the team in 1998 when he left with a 2-7 record, a 5.05 ERA and speculation his arm was shot. Nomo has won his last six decisions, his last loss coming July 16 against the St. Louis Cardinals.