DODGERS NOTEBOOK: L.A.'S HOUSTON TRYING TO MAKE BEST OF TOUGH SITUATION.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

This is a difficult time for Tyler Houston, who left the last-place doldrums of the Milwaukee Brewers via a July trade to play for a contender in Los Angeles, but Houston's brief stint with the Dodgers hasn't been easy.

Houston was in the starting lineup Sunday afternoon against the Houston Astros because of his previous success against Astros starter Roy Oswalt, but Houston had not started since Aug. 28 and is struggling to adjust to life as a part-time player.

Entering Sunday's game, Houston had 53 at-bats in 26 games with the Dodgers. He went 1 for 3 against the Astros to raise his batting average to .214 since the trade.

``Not to state the obvious, but when you ask that question, you pretty much know it's tough,'' Houston said. ``It's my first start in 11 days, and it's against one of the hottest pitchers in the game right now. It's hard. All you can do is try to get it done out there.

``I did a lot of hitting, a lot of work in the cage, but that only does so much. It's not possible to simulate hitting Roy Oswalt's curveball or fastball. I just go up there and battle and try to do the best I can with my chances.''

Those chances have been few and far between because of the resurgence of third baseman Adrian Beltre. The Dodgers acquired Houston as a way to challenge Beltre and it worked, as Beltre has been one of the club's hottest hitters. However, that has limited Houston's playing time.

--Still not sure: Dodgers manager Jim Tracy addressed his least-favorite topic Sunday, that being the status of Kevin Brown and when Brown might return to the rotation. Tracy has been testy when asked about Brown, but with Kazuhisa Ishii out of action, Brown would likely return to the rotation.

Brown pitched a perfect eighth inning Saturday and has not allowed a run in his past three appearances (2 1/3 innings). However, Tracy balked when asked how he would avoid the temptation to start Brown in a playoff game.

``The assumption is that this is the Kevin Brown you've been accustomed to seeing,'' Tracy said. ``It's not even a temptation if I know he's not right. It's still three weeks away, so I'm going to worry about getting there first.''

DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO

Time: 7:15 p.m., Pac Bell Park.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net 2; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: Dodgers LH Odalis Perez (13-8, 2.92 ERA) has started twice against the Giants this season and been competitive, but the Dodgers lost both games, 3-0 on April 4 and 2-1 on April 10. Perez has allowed two earned runs or less in 17 of his 28 starts this season. San Francisco RH Livan Hernandez (9-15, 4.36) beat the Dodgers on opening day but is 4-8 with a 4.53 ERA lifetime against the Dodgers. Tuesday - Dodgers RH Andy Ashby (9-11, 3.54) vs. San Francisco RH Jason Schmidt (10-7, 3.58); Wednesday - Dodgers RH Hideo Nomo (13-6, 3.30) vs. San Francisco LH Kirk Rueter (12-7, 3.05).

- Rich Hammond

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DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO (see text)