DODGERS NOTEBOOK: HEALTHIER JACKSON VYING FOR 5TH SPOT.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

VERO BEACH, Fla. - Edwin Jackson doesn't want to admit that anything is different this spring, but something clearly is.

For one thing, his locker hasn't been a constant magnet for every reporter who walks into the clubhouse. For another, he isn't a confident-but-green rookie who has been anointed by his manager a major-league starting pitcher, a role for which he may or may not be ready.

This spring, Jackson is just another competitor hoping to nail down the final spot in the starting rotation, even if he is the contender with the brightest future. And that's fine with him, given that after manager Jim Tracy named him the Dodgers' fifth starter in January 2004, Jackson opened the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, the result of a mediocre spring and a shortage of available roster spots.

``I'm approaching this spring training the same as last year,'' said Jackson, now 21 and still the organization's top pitching prospect. ``I don't put any extra pressure on myself.''

For the second year in a row, Jackson logged limited big-league time last season. Unlike in 2003, he didn't blow anybody away. In five starts and three relief appearances, Jackson went 2-1 with a ghastly 7.30 ERA, intermittently battling a strained right forearm.

He had a 5.86 ERA in 19 starts at Las Vegas.

Jackson says he is completely healthy and ready to forget last season.

``I don't look at last year,'' he said. ``That's in the past. I'm still the same pitcher, but every year you get more experience and learn from your mistakes.''

Jackson probably has no better than a 50-50 chance of making the Opening-Day roster. His competition for the fifth spot includes veterans Wilson Alvarez, Kazuhisa Ishii and Scott Erickson. Moreover, club officials want Jackson starting every fifth day, so if he doesn't earn a spot in the rotation, he's going back to Vegas.

--More weather: Two days after their outdoor activities were limited by wet weather, the Dodgers were forced indoors Sunday by a torrential downpour that lasted most of the morning. By late afternoon, Indian River County was under a tornado watch.

The Dodgers open Grapefruit League play Wednesday against Florida, and Tracy said there still is work to be done.

``Right now, (missing a day is) not a problem,'' he said. ``But if we get wiped out again (today), it could possible set us back a little bit.''

One bit of business that was taken care of Sunday: Right-hander Brad Penny threw his fourth side session of the spring in an effort to come back from the right-arm nerve injury that hampered him late last season. Penny threw about 50 pitches on an indoor mound, again increasing his intensity only slightly from his session Friday.

Afterward, Penny said he felt fine. He will go again Tuesday.

--Perez hurting: Left-hander Odalis Perez, a key member of the Dodgers' starting rotation, has been shut down for a couple of days because of biceps soreness that Perez said is the result of too much weightlifting.

``I'll lay off the weights for three more days and then come back to it,'' Perez said. ``This is nothing. I'm not worried about it at all.''

--Signings: Assistant general manager Kim Ng, who is in charge of signing players not yet eligible for arbitration, was tightlipped about which players have signed. Ng said most of the 21 players in the category have agreed to terms and that she expects all of them to be signed before the renewal period begins Wednesday. At that point, any player who hasn't signed can simply be renewed for a year at a figure of the club's choosing.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

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Edwin Jackson hopes to move forward after going 2-1 with a 7.30 ERA for the Dodgers last season, and having a 5.86 ERA in 19 minor-league starts.

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images