DODGERS FEELING BLUE L.A. STUNNED AS BROWN HURTS ELBOW IN DEFEAT SAN DIEGO 6, DODGERS 4.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO - Kevin Brown's pitch popped in the glove of catcher Paul Lo Duca, but before the ball could be thrown the Dodgers right-hander leaped in apparent pain.

Brown, who underwent surgery to repair the flexor muscle in his pitching elbow less than seven months ago, left after 1 1/3 innings with an elbow injury. The preliminary diagnosis was either a strained muscle or the release of scar tissue.

San Diego went on to score twice in the bottom of eighth on Deivi Cruz's double and beat the Dodgers 6-4 on Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium, but that was hardly of concern or consequence.

Instead, a season that is only 11 games old is teetering on disaster as the Dodgers hold their collective breaths and hope for the best when Brown awakens and is re-examined today.

``There's really no way of telling,'' Dodgers general manager Dan Evans said. ``According to the initial diagnosis, it's either a situation where he tore some scar tissue or there's a muscle strain, but I'm not a physician. It appears it's just one of those two.''

Evans said the club is uncertain whether Brown would miss a start or be placed on the 15-day disabled list, but both could happen.

In such an event, left-hander Omar Daal is the top choice to move into the starting rotation. Daal pitched two scoreless innings against the Padres, and is on schedule to pitch Thursday if needed.

Brown, whom the Dodgers hoped could make his usual 34 or 35 starts, rarely shows emotion on the mound, but did so on this night.

He labored through the first inning, walking the first two batters he faced, but got out of the jam. He walked Ray Lankford to start the second and Cruz doubled. Brown struck out Ramon Vazquez, but after delivering a 93 mph fastball on a 2-2 count to Tom Lampkin, Brown took a step and then jumped in the air.

It brought a cheer from many of the 47,893 in attendance and sent manager Jim Tracy, pitching coach Jim Colborn and trainer Matt Wilson to the mound. Brown, who appeared out of sync throughout his 46-pitch outing, was examined by team physician Dr. Greg Schwab.

Evans said Brown will be examined by team physician Dr. Frank Jobe either today or Monday. The club might wait a day for inflammation to subside before doing an MRI.

``I don't want to speculate on a decision (about the disabled list) because he doesn't have to throw until later in the week, and we're just not entirely sure of the extent of the situation,'' Evans said. ``We just have to be honest. We don't know, but it's either one of the two. It's either a tear of scar tissue or a muscle strain. It doesn't appear to be anything regarding a ligament right now.

``He's not in anywhere near the pain he was when he came out of the game. He's been down there icing. He was throwing 94 to 96 mph. It was just that one pitch where he felt pain.''

Brown, 37, spent much of his career free of arm injuries. But the past season-plus has resulted in injury after injury for Brown. He was on the disabled list three times last season, and limited to a career-low 19 starts.

He also gained an enormous amount of respect among his teammates for pitching with a torn muscle in his elbow, making five September starts. Brown finished the season 10-4 with a 2.65 ERA.

Brown amazed everyone with his quick recovery from flexor surgery Sept. 27. He didn't throw off a mound until spring training, pitched just 14 2/3 innings but started the season opener against San Francisco.

Though Brown was roughed up by the Giants - he allowed seven runs on nine hits in four innings - he said he was healthy. Questions of his health lingered until he pitched seven shutout innings last Sunday against Colorado.

``No second-guessing whatsoever, and without knowing entirely what went on,'' Evans said. ``It's prudent for us to sit back and find out what occurred before saying anything.''

The rehabilitation and recovery had been relatively smooth for Brown. The only setback came when he was pushed back a day in spring training after experiencing stiffness in his elbow after his first start. But he also didn't ice the elbow after that outing in hopes of returning to his pre-surgery routines.

The Dodgers figure to be extremely careful with Brown. They don't want to jeopardize the rest of his season if it's not a severe injury, and with three years, $45 million left on his contract after the season, the Dodgers have to look at the long-term ramifications.

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Photo:

(color) Manager Jim Tracy, left, talks with Kevin Brown in the second inning Saturday night before Brown left the game with a right-elbow injury.

Denis Poroy/Associated Press