DODGERS NOTEBOOK: FANS GET A LOOK AT FACE-LIFT.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Luxury suites, dugout-club seating where folks can basically listen to manager Davey Johnson's conversations, and a rubberized warning track - all part of a $50 million renovation project - were unveiled Friday at Dodger Stadium.

Though not as elaborate as the new ballparks opening around the league the past few years, it'll do just fine. Not just in the interim but for a while.

That new stadium next to the Coliseum just doesn't seem to be an issue for the Dodgers, but neither does any other site. Chavez Ravine remains the location of choice.

``I learned a long time ago never to say never,'' Dodgers managing partner and CEO Bob Daly said, ``but I think this guarantees we'll be here for a while. There's no public funding in Los Angeles and it's very expensive to build a ballpark.

``We'll do some more things with it as time goes on. Next year we'll go into some tinkering. There are a lot of things we'd like to do.''

But the tinkering is more on the inside than the outside, particularly a new clubhouse for the Dodgers.

--Masaoka shipped out: Onan Masaoka lost his spot as the Dodgers' situational lefty to Jeff Williams. He was sent to Triple-A Albuquerque following the game to make room for right-hander Eric Gagne, who will start today.

The Dodgers weren't happy with the way Masaoka was throwing the ball, the thinking being that his sprained ankle in spring training didn't allow him to build arm strength. His velocity had dropped from the low 90s to the high 80 mph range.

``My arm, it's not hurting me, but hopefully if I go down and stretch it out and get more innings, then it comes back,'' Masaoka said. ``But we'll see how it reacts. I understand where they're coming from.''

Masaoka, who had a 7.50 ERA in five games, will start a few games for the Dukes.

--Perez lives on: Lefty Carlos Perez's outing Thursday was enough to earn him at least one more start, which he'll make Tuesday against Houston. Perez allowed three runs in six innings against San Francisco for his first win since May 29.

``It makes me calm down a little bit,'' Perez said of the outing. ``I feel better, more comfortable. I think it's time to start winning some games in a row. It feels good and I feel 100 percent. There's no question about it.''

But how long Perez remains with the Dodgers could be contingent on a couple of factors. First, on how he performs. He made one solid outing, but the prevalent thought in the organization remains that he must prove himself time and again.

Also, if Gagne pitches well, he would force his way into the rotation. The Dodgers wanted him to win a starting spot in spring training, but he faltered miserably.

``(Perez) battled and he made improvements,'' Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone said. ``He's just got to continue to do that to regain his form of old that made him one of the better pitchers in the National League prior to `99. It's in there. It's a matter of getting it to come out and being consistent.''

--Odds and ends: Right-hander Kevin Brown did some light throwing before the game and was fitted with a new brace for his broken right pinkie so he can be more active. Asked whether he could be ready April 24, when he's allowed to come off the disabled list, Brown said, ``It's possible, but I don't know. It's tough sitting and watching a game when you pitch every fourth, fifth day. It's definitely tougher when you're not doing anything.''. . . . Gary Sheffield had three hits to extend his streak to 10 games and Shawn Green increased his hitting streak to nine games.

DODGERS vs. CINCINNATI

Time: 5:10 p.m., at Dodger Stadium.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net2; 1150-AM, KWKW-AM (1330 Spanish).

Matchup: After getting pummeled in his quest to make the Dodgers' starting rotation, right-hander Eric Gagne (0-0, 0.00 ERA) gets his first crack with the Dodgers because of the injury to Kevin Brown. Gagne was 0-2 with a 15.63 ERA in spring training, but he's stabilized things with a six innings of one-hit ball in his lone outing at Triple-A Albuquerque. Lefty Denny Neagle (0-0, 5.40), who's 3-4 with a 2.32 ERA in eight games at Chavez Ravine, starts for the Reds.

- Brian Dohn

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Box: Dodgers vs. Cincinnati (see text)