DODGERS NOTEBOOK: JORDAN WON'T SIT BECAUSE OF BACK.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

PHOENIX - Brian Jordan's cranky back is back, but the Dodgers' left fielder said not to fret about his latest tweaking.

Jordan was confident he would be in the lineup Friday when the Dodgers open a three-game series against Houston at Dodger Stadium despite being pulled in the third inning of Wednesday's 7-1 loss to Arizona at Bank One Ballpark because of soreness.

``I'll be ready Friday,'' Jordan said. ``At first I was (concerned). I kind of jogged off the field feeling it, and it's like, `Geez, not again.' I thought about staying in the game, and the trainers and all didn't think it was a good idea.''

Dodgers manager Jim Tracy was more reticent about Jordan's availability entering the weekend, mindful he needs a healthy Jordan for the remaining three weeks of the season.

``It's a day-to-day thing,'' Tracy said. ``I'm not sitting here saying he won't play Friday. I don't definitely know if he will. We'll have to wait and see how he comes in Friday, see how he's feeling. If he's OK, he will go.''

Jordan injured the back scaling the left-field fence in the first inning trying to catch Matt Williams' three-run homer. Jordan hung onto the fence with his left arm while momentum brought him toward the field, creating a strain on his lower back.

He remained in the game until the bottom of the third inning, leaving with ``an aggravation of a previous lower-back injury.'' He received treatment during the final six innings. No tests are scheduled for today, an off day for the Dodgers.

However, it's a potentially volatile issue for Jordan, who came off the 15-day disabled list after battling a bulging disc in his lower back. The injury required an epidural injection and forced Jordan to miss 19 of 20 games. He was activated from the disabled list Sunday and was 2 for 13 with two RBI and his first homer since July 6.

--Brown's future role: Though right-hander Kevin Brown isn't in the Dodgers' starting rotation yet, Tracy said it doesn't mean Brown won't be in it by the end of the season. Tracy added he wouldn't designate a role for Brown, though he plans on using him in relief for the short term.

However, with 23 games remaining, Tracy isn't about to sit back and wait for starting pitchers to work themselves out of funks if he believes Brown is one of the five best options to start.

``Am I sitting here and saying to you that Kevin Brown will not start a game between now and the end of the season? I'm not,'' Tracy said. ``I am not going to pin myself down to defining that this is what you'll see Kevin Brown do from now until the season is over, whenever that may be.''

Brown, who fanned Greg Colbrunn with the bases loaded Tuesday, is 1-0 with a 6.08 ERA in six relief appearances. He's allowed 17 hits and walked 10 in 13 1/3 innings, and has given up three homers. In 44 1/3 innings as a starter, Brown yielded five homers, 45 hits and 11 walks.

--Odds and ends: With Mark Grudzielanek hobbled with a sore right hamstring, Jeff Reboulet started at second base against Diamondbacks left-hander Randy Johnson. It was Reboulet's first start since July 1, during which he went 1 for 3 against Johnson. Reboulet was again 1 for 3, getting the Dodgers' first of three hits. ... Shawn Green hit his 40th homer of the season off Johnson in the ninth, making him the first L.A. Dodger with back-to-back 40-homer seasons. Duke Snider hit 40 homers five consecutive seasons from 1953-57. ... Johnson moved into fourth place on the all-time strikeout chart, surpassing Bert Blyleven's total of 3,701. Johnson had eight strikeouts to increase his career total to 3,705. Roger Clemens (3,887), Steve Carlton (4,136) and Nolan Ryan (5,714) are the top three. ... Brad Mills, the manager of the Dodgers' affiliate at Triple-A Las Vegas, was named Pacific Coast League manager of the year.

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BRIAN JORDAN

The Dodgers' outfielder reinjured his lower back while scaling the outfield wall Wednesday.