Alvarez Is Scratched; Houlton to Start

The battered Dodger rotation suffered another blow Thursday when Wilson Alvarez was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday because of shoulder tendinitis, and Manager Jim Tracy said the left-hander’s physical problems might limit him to a relief role for the remainder of the season.

Rookie right-hander D.J. Houlton will come out of the bullpen to start against Milwaukee in place of Alvarez, who in his last two starts gave up 16 hits and 11 runs in eight innings. Despite Alvarez’s poor performances, the Dodgers planned to turn to him again because they still considered the 13-year veteran to be their best option with Odalis Perez and Elmer Dessens on the disabled list and Scott Erickson ineffective.

The Dodgers hope Alvarez’s shoulder improves enough for him to work in relief this weekend, and his days as a Dodger starter have apparently ended.

“It’s exactly what I’ve been saying for two years: Wilson Alvarez is best served, as a part of our ballclub, out of the bullpen,” Tracy said. “If you push the envelope too far with him, you’re going to run into something like this.”

Alvarez, 35, shined for stretches in the rotation the previous two seasons, but Tracy has often expressed reservations about his workload in that role at this stage of his career. Injuries prompted the Dodgers to remove Alvarez from the rotation last season, and Tracy believes it’s pointless to continue the exercise.

“He is not a guy you’re interested in seeing take a start,” Tracy said, “because the bounce-back effect, at this point of his career, is counterproductive.”

Houlton, 25, started 87 games in four seasons in the minor leagues, but his longest outing with the Dodgers is only two innings (three times) in 13 relief appearances. Houlton expressed confidence he could throw as many as 80 pitches.

“I’ve been starting my whole life, so I don’t think it’ll be too rough,” he said. “It’ll be interesting.”

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Outfielder Milton Bradley, sidelined because of a slight tear in the ligaments in his right ring finger, is scheduled to participate in baseball activity today in an attempt to gauge his recovery, a team spokesman said.

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Although eager to be activated from the disabled list, Perez stressed that he wouldn’t return before his pitching shoulder has healed completely.

“If I come back, I want to be 100%,” he said. “I want to be able to go out there to the mound and give a good performance.”