Daal Likely to Sign With Another Team

Omar Daal threw eight shutout innings Friday night, giving up two hits and striking out six in the Dodgers’ 1-0 victory over the Padres.

One of Daal’s best performances of the season was probably his last as a Dodger--the left-hander will be a free agent this winter and seems certain to leave.

Daal, who is 11-9 with a 3.90 earned-run average, wants a multiyear deal and assurances he’ll be a starter. With four starters--Hideo Nomo, Andy Ashby, Kazuhisa Ishii and Kevin Brown--under contract for 2003 and another, Odalis Perez, under team control, the Dodgers can’t make any promises.

When Daal, who made $5 million this season, was demoted to the bullpen to start the season, he demanded a trade, but the Dodgers kept him as an insurance policy if Brown or Ashby suffered relapses from last year’s elbow surgeries.

Sure enough, Brown was limited to 10 starts, so Daal made 23 starts and filled a rotation spot from late May through the end of the season.

“But I hope they get someone else as insurance next year, not me,” Daal said. “I’m a starter, not an insurance policy.”

*

TODAY

DODGERS’ VICTOR ALVAREZ

(0-0, 8.10 ERA)

vs.

PADRES’ OLIVER PEREZ

(3-5, 3.81 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 1 p.m.

TV--Channel 13.

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

Update--With the Dodgers eliminated from playoff contention, Odalis Perez was scratched from today’s season finale.