DODGERS NOTEBOOK: AFTER BLUNDERS, TRACY HAS TALKS WITH PLAYERS.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO - Dodgers manager Jim Tracy wanted to speak with Tom Goodwin. And Alex Cora. And Shawn Green. And Gary Sheffield. Nothing big, but just quick little chats with each of those who butchered balls in Saturday's one-run loss to San Diego.

That's the way Tracy will do things. When a mistake is made, he'll pull aside the individual for a brief discussion. The past couple of years such misgivings were pushed away with no or little communication.

``I think it has more weight when you talk to the guys that are involved, individually,'' Tracy said. ``I think that fact of addressing the club is, to me, when you see lackluster play, or what you perceive to be a lack of effort. I don't see any of that through the first 12 games of the season. I like one-on-one.''

The Dodgers committed five errors, misplayed four fly balls and had their closer commit a brutal balk in the series, so Tracy had plenty to talk about following the Dodgers' weekend series with the Padres.

But an ability to communicate was one of the key reasons Tracy is the Dodgers' manager, which he's done through the first two weeks of the season.

When he rested Mark Grudzielanek on Friday, he refused to post the lineup until the second baseman arrived at the ballpark so the two could speak.

``I just think that players are more focused when you enlighten them as to what's going on,'' Tracy said. ``They just receive it better. They have a better understanding of it, and if the door is closed and they want to disagree with you, they want to talk out loud about it. That's the forum in which they're able to do so.''

--Charting Carlos: When left-hander Carlos Perez was told he was going to Triple-A Las Vegas to rehab, he was told he'd pitch every five days to get in shape. Sunday was his fifth day, but he's not scheduled to pitch until Tuesday. Perez has a 9.00 ERA in two starts with Las Vegas.

However, a decision on Perez's status isn't due for nearly three weeks and the Dodgers are in no hurry to make one. But there also are questions as to how the Dodgers will handle Perez since he's guaranteed $7.5 million this season.

``I'm not going to comment on that because right now it's a pitching issue and until he's ready to compete out there, I don't think there's really anything more important than him being able to pitch and perform at this level, and he's not ready to do that. He's in his spring training,'' Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone said.

--Odds and ends: Wanting to keep Chan Ho Park on his normal rest, the Dodgers altered their pitching rotation so Park will pitch Wednesday in San Francisco and Andy Ashby will throw Thursday. ... The start of the game was delayed nine minutes because of a swarm of bees above the right-field fence on the out-of-town scoreboard.