Things Looking Up for Dodgers

Several Dodger pitchers hummed a redemption song during the bus ride to New York after Thursday’s 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Odalis Perez tossed seven scoreless innings and flirted with a no-hitter only two starts removed from pointing fingers at coaches and teammates during a post-game tirade.

Wilson Alvarez got a double-play ground ball to end the eighth inning in his second appearance since missing more than six weeks because of shoulder pain.

And Yhency Brazoban overpowered the Phillies in the ninth to notch his 17th save two days after blowing a one-run lead and losing in the space of two pitches.

“Today was one of the special days,” Perez said.

It was a day of modest milestones for the Dodgers (43-52), who gained another game on the reeling San Diego Padres in the National League West and trail by 6 1/2 games.

The Dodgers hadn’t won two games in a row since beating the Padres on June 22-23, hadn’t won a series since taking two of three from Minnesota on June 10-12 and hadn’t won a series on the road since taking two of three from Arizona May 27-29.

Perez, who was on the disabled list from May 15 to July 5, hadn’t won since April 29.

In other words, this was a long time coming.

“It was a very important win for us,” third baseman Oscar Robles said.

Robles did his part, leading off the game with a double and scoring on Jeff Kent’s double before many fans had settled into their seats. The scoreboard registered nothing but zeros thereafter, and there were several tense moments.

Perez (5-5) sailed through five no-hit innings by placing his fastball on the outside corner and using his changeup as an out pitch. He appeared to strike out Endy Chavez on a foul-tip to begin the sixth, but the third-base umpire ruled that catcher Mike Rose trapped the ball.

Although Manager Jim Tracy argued the call, Rose said the ball hit the ground before it hit his glove.

Given another chance, Chavez hit a bouncer that caromed over the shoulder of first baseman Olmedo Saenz for a single. Perez was unfazed, retiring the next three batters.

“I didn’t think about it too much,” Perez said. “The umpires do a good job. I’m not going to complain about it.”

Center fielder Jason Repko came to the rescue in the seventh. He made a sprawling catch of Chase Utley’s line drive to begin the inning, and with two out and David Bell on first with a single, Repko threw out Bell trying to advance to third on Ryan Howard’s single.

“I was getting a little tired and those plays were a big help,” Perez said.

Perez pitched two one-hitters in 2002, his first season with the Dodgers.

“This Odalis Perez resembled the pitcher I saw in 2002,” Tracy said. “His aggressiveness, his tempo, the way he attacked the hitters. He was outstanding.”

Perez recalled a potential no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs in 2002 that was broken up on a bad-hop infield single by Corey Patterson in the seventh.

“I’ve been through this five or six times,” he said. “One day I will get it.”

Asked if he was guaranteeing a no-hitter, he smiled and amended his answer. “I hope to get it,” he said. “I hope to be on the list of great pitchers who had one.”

Tracy also was gratified by Brazoban’s rebound from giving up a triple and a home run Tuesday. He struck out Pat Burrell on a 98-mph fastball to tie Steve Howe for the Dodger rookie record for saves in a season.

“No closer is perfect,” Tracy said. “It is interesting to see how a guy bounces back. We got our answer.”

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Trace elements

Jim Tracy is one win away from becoming the sixth Dodger manager to win 400 games since the franchise began in 1884:

*--* Manager (Years) W-L Walt Alston (1954-76) 2,040-1,613 Tom Lasorda (1976-96) 1,599-1,439 Wilbert Robinson (1914-31) 1,375-1,341 Leo Durocher (1939-48) 738-565 Ned Hanlon (1899-1905) 511-488 Jim Tracy (2001-current) 399-344

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