Scare Changed Rose’s Perspective

On the upcoming trip to Colorado and Houston, catcher Mike Rose will ask Rocky second baseman Aaron Miles and Astro third baseman Morgan Ensberg how they are doing.

When they say fine, the word will carry more meaning than usual.

All three players remember too well when it wasn’t the case.

Rose, Miles and Ensberg were among six Astro minor leaguers held at gunpoint by two men in a Kissimmee, Fla., hotel room five years ago.

“I was under the covers, and they had a gun to my head,” Rose said.

The gunmen tied up five players and a woman, robbed them, then moved to an adjacent room where Miles was by himself.

One of the players freed his hands and called 911, and police shot one of the suspects while he was struggling with Miles, who is Rose’s best friend.

The experience has made Rose less trusting and more aware of his surroundings.

“I notice everything,” he said. “I’m much more observant and attentive to detail.”

*

Odalis Perez wasn’t pleased with the verdict, but he’ll make one more rehabilitation start for triple-A Las Vegas tonight before coming off the disabled list and facing Colorado on Tuesday.

The Dodgers considered activating the left-hander in time to start Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

However, he’ll still be able to squeeze in two starts before the All-Star break, because he will be in line to make his second start July 10 at Houston.

Perez isn’t thrilled about making his first start since May 14 at hitter-friendly Coors Field, where he has a 6.91 earned-run average in eight starts.

“You have to show your teammates you care,” he said. “If I get rocked, I get rocked.”

Rookie D.J. Houlton (4-1) will start Sunday on the strength of his seven-inning outing Monday.

*

Third baseman Jose Valentin took ground balls for the first time since injuring his right knee May 3. He expects to take batting practice Friday and set a timetable for his return.

“August 1, hopefully,” he said. “I’m happy with the way it is going.”

Valentin said he could begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment in two to three weeks, meaning he would be about five weeks away from coming off the disabled list.

Although he is a switch-hitter, he said he would focus exclusively on batting from the left side because there is less pressure on the knee.

Valentin also is a much better hitter left-handed.

*

Glenn Hoffman, who was struck in the head by a batting-practice line drive June 15, is expected to return as third-base coach after the All-Star break. He has taken several days off and is expected to return Friday to serve as bench coach.... Jeff Kent’s three hits Wednesday left him five short of 2,000 in his career.