Carrara to Start Wednesday Against Rockies

Rejecting the idea of using Hideo Nomo on Wednesday on three days’ rest and then possibly in Sunday’s regular-season finale, again on three days’ rest, Manager Jim Tracy has decided to use middle reliever Giovanni Carrara in Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies and Nomo in Thursday’s series opener against the San Diego Padres.

Odalis Perez will open the two-game series against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.

“With all the work he has done,” Tracy said of Nomo, “and all the pitches he has thrown, I would rather have Nomo ready for a playoff game than to try to use him twice on three days’ rest in one week.”

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Center fielder Dave Roberts, suffering from a strained muscle on his right side, will refrain from physical activity for the next few days with the hope that he might make it back on the field by next weekend, the end of the regular season.

But, Roberts said, the more likely possibility is that he would be available for the postseason, should the Dodgers get that far.

Roberts will have an MRI today or Tuesday to validate the diagnosis.

“I’ll first try getting on the treadmill,” Roberts said. “If I do that and show progress, good. If not, I’ll pretty much have to shut it down.”

Roberts was hurt leading off Saturday night’s game against San Diego Padre right-hander Brett Tomko.

“On an 0-2 count,” Roberts said, “I took a defensive swing at a pitch that was up and away.”

A sharp pain cut through Roberts’ right side, a pain so sharp he considered asking for a pinch-hitter.

“But you don’t want to do that to someone on 0-2,” he said.

So Roberts stepped out of the box, took a deep breath and hoped the pain would subside.

“I thought maybe, hopefully, it was a cramp,” he said.

No such luck.

Somehow, someway, Roberts, who had only two home runs this season, was able to smack a Tomko pitch into the right-field seats, pain and all.

He took his time circling the bases, the first clue to those in the dugout that something was wrong.

“At first,” Tracy said, “I was thinking this is not something we do [taking one’s time going around the bases]. It suggests to the opponent, ‘We got you.’ But as soon as he reached home plate and turned to the dugout, you could tell by his expression, he hurt something.”

Although Roberts platooned as the leadoff batter and center fielder with Marquis Grissom, it was Roberts, with 100 more at-bats than Grissom, who provided the ignition switch for the offense, hitting .277 with 45 stolen bases, 63 runs scored and 34 runs batted in.

Now that switch may be shut off for the season.