Hendrickson Not Worried

A day after making his first relief appearance since 2002, Mark Hendrickson said he did not think he was in danger of losing his spot in the rotation despite winning only once in 11 starts with the Dodgers.

Hendrickson, who pitched the eighth inning Saturday in a 14-5 win over Colorado, said he would have thrown on the side anyway and that “an inning in a situation like that can definitely help the bullpen” by providing a respite for weary relievers.

The left-hander had a 3.81 earned-run average with Tampa Bay but has gone 1-6 with a 4.99 ERA since the Dodgers acquired him June 27. Hendrickson attributed his recent struggles to a loss of focus, saying that he was pressing a bit in his desire to succeed with his new team.

“It’s just one of those situations where it’s the first time I’ve been in a pennant race, so I’m trying to learn from some of the guys,” said Hendrickson, whose next start comes Tuesday in Milwaukee.

“But ultimately, it just comes down to doing what I do best, and that’s just throwing one pitch at a time. It’s just a matter of coming out and doing what I had done early in the year.”

Manager Grady Little said Hendrickson’s spot in the rotation was secure as long as Chad Billingsley continued to be sidelined because of a strained left oblique muscle.

The Dodgers won’t know whether Billingsley will be able to start Friday against the New York Mets until the rookie right-hander throws off a mound, which may not happen for another day or two. If Billingsley remains unable to pitch, the Dodgers could stick with Aaron Sele, who struggled in Billingsley’s place Sunday, or opt for rookie left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo.

Little said Kuo, who made an impressive transition from reliever to starter this season at triple-A Las Vegas, could become a spot starter over the season’s last four weeks.

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In the first on-field incident since the Dodgers canceled $2 Tuesdays and beefed up security in May 2005 in the wake of repeated fan misconduct, a young female fan emerged from the right-field stands with two out in the top of the ninth inning and ran a circuitous route before being tackled by a security guard near first base.

The barefoot girl was carried off the field by four guards. A Dodgers spokesman would not release the girl’s name, but said she had been turned over to the Los Angeles Police Department and could face a misdemeanor charge of interfering with a public assembly. An LAPD spokesman confirmed the girl was a minor and would be released to her parents.

“I’ve never seen that,” first baseman James Loney said. “I heard everybody yelling, and I thought it was just a beach ball. Then it got louder.”

Asked whether he had seen a female fan run onto the field, Little said, “Not with that many clothes on. Usually, there’s a little bit more display going on. Somebody that takes it on themselves to do something like that, they usually go a little further.”

Was she treated too harshly by security, considering her youth?

“You deserve that when you let your actions get out of hand that far,” Little said.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com