DODGERS NOTEBOOK: BULLPEN FACES MORE PRESSURE.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

PHOENIX - Dodgers left-hander Omar Daal said manager Jim Tracy told him to be ready to start next weekend in case the injury to Kevin Brown's elbow forces him to miss his next start, but finding usable and effective arms for the bullpen today is the daunting chore facing the Dodgers.

Brown's injury and the ineffectiveness of several relievers caused Tracy to use five relievers to patch-work 9 1/3 innings. The situation is further exacerbated by starters Andy Ashby and Odalis Perez lasting 5 2/3 innings and four innings, respectively, in the previous two games.

It also didn't help that the bullpen accounted for two of the three losses and allowed 24 earned runs in 24 1/3 innings - an 8.88 ERA - during the six-game road trip.

``We're just going to have to take some time and totally assess our situation, where we're at,'' Tracy said after Sunday's 10-9 loss to Arizona in 10 innings. ``We threw as many pitchers as we had available to us.''

Carrara pitched in three consecutive games and had a 30.38 ERA on the six-game road trip. Guillermo Mota pitched three of the past four games.

Daal, who pitched Saturday and threw 71 pitches Sunday, said he probably won't be available until Wednesday.

``After my second inning I was a little tired, but I felt I could go one more inning. But I got tired,'' said Daal, who pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings Sunday and has a 0.88 ERA. ``We don't know how long Brown is going to be, but (Tracy) told me to be ready just in case. He told me, `If he can't go, Omar, you're my starter.' Just wait and see what happens, but I need at least two days.''

Perez is an option to be used in long relief should Hideo Nomo not pitch deep into today's game against Milwaukee, but Tracy would prefer not to do that since Perez is slated to pitch Wednesday.

--Liking the lineup: Even though third baseman Adrian Beltre is struggling since being moved to the second spot in the lineup, Tracy said he has no plans to switch Beltre back down in the order and move Mark Grudzielanek back to his familiar second spot.

Beltre, who homered against Randy Johnson in the third inning but went 1 for 6, has just 6 hits in his past 42 at-bats and is hitting .214 (9 for 42) from the second spot in the order. During the past four seasons he is hitting .159 (13 for 82) as the No. 2 hitter.

Traditionally, Beltre has batted sixth or seventh in the lineup, where his average was .292 and .284, respectively. This season Beltre is batting .286 (34 for 119) from the seventh spot.

Meanwhile, Grudzielanek is batting .216 (8 for 37) as the seventh hitter and was hitting .258 (25 for 97) from the eighth slot. He spent most of his major-league career as a No. 2 hitter, and he batted .290 the past three seasons.

``I like Mark Grudzielanek in run-producing situations,'' Tracy said. ``I think Mark Grudzielanek has done a great job in the capacity he has served to this point. I think you can get too wrapped up in should he be up at the top of the order, and then you go right back and visit where you were a year ago. Then you get all those guys on base and who knocked them in.''

--Yard sale: Shawn Green is sending the bat he used to hit nine homers in five games, including four in one game, to the Hall of Fame. The Dodgers asked for it to place in their archives but deferred to the Hall of Fame.

However, Green wont leave anyone short in this.

``I'll probably give them the batting gloves (from the four-homer game), and I'll keep the ball from the last homer,'' Green said.

--Odds and ends: Johnson struck out five to pass Walter Johnson and move into eighth place all-time with 3,512 career strikeouts. ... Green extended his hitting streak to a season-high seven games with a fifth-inning single. He added a double in the ninth and has an extra-base hit in all seven games. Green finished the six-game road trip batting .593 (16 for 27) with nine homers, 17 RBI and 14 runs scored. ... Former Dodger Craig Counsell, who is batting leadoff for the Diamondbacks, tied a club record with five hits.