DODGERS NOTEBOOK: LO DUCA UNHAPPY WITH INJURY EXCUSE.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca didn't play Saturday, and he was clearly unhappy with the notion he was injured.

Dodgers manager Jim Tracy gave a host of reasons for omitting the All-Star catcher from Saturday's lineup, including a slight strain of the pectoral muscle.

``I'm fine,'' Lo Duca said before starting Sunday's game. ``For someone to say I was hurt, I'm a little upset about it. For three years, I've come here and never, ever asked for a day off. I was ready to play and that's all I have to say.''

Before Saturday's game, Tracy said that he had ridden Lo Duca harder than anyone on the team (Lo Duca has played 142 games). He said he would have given the catcher either Saturday or Sunday off anyway, because it was a day game after a night game. He also said Lo Duca had a slight strain of the pectoral muscle (which happened tracking down a foul ball in Friday's game), but that he was available.

Tracy also mentioned that backup catcher David Ross had two home runs in his last start.

``It's been suggested he did not play because of the slight strain in his pectoral muscle, but I thought I was clear on that,'' Tracy said. ``We're still in this thing. With the number of games left, he's in a position to have to catch all of them.''

What wasn't clear was whether Tracy benched Lo Duca because of his struggles offensively. Before Sunday's game, Lo Duca was hitless in his past 10 at-bats and in a 4-for-22 skid.

Tracy's only comment was that ``fatigue has a tendency to slow you down a little bit.''

The Dodgers finish the regular season with eight games in the next seven days, including a Saturday doubleheader at San Francisco.

``There's (eight) games left to play, and he's going to catch all of them,'' Tracy said.

--Perez's start: Odalis Perez is scheduled to make his start today after missing Wednesday's start with a partially torn finger nail.

Perez's teammates privately voiced frustration with the maligned pitcher, who publicly criticized the offense this summer. Perez said he couldn't grip the ball and cut short his bullpen session last week, but he was able to throw a bullpen session Saturday.

``The last time I threw the ball, it was great,'' Perez said. ``I had control of my pitches.''

Perez said the treatment he received the past couple of days, in which the fingernail was bonded, helped. But perhaps nothing can mend the wounds he created with his controversial comments, especially after missing a start.

``Whatever decision I made is in the past,'' Perez said. ``(Today), I'll got out there feeling better than last time.''

--More surgery for Dreifort: Pitcher Darren Dreifort, whose season was cut short by a knee surgery, will go under the knife again. Dreifort will have surgery Tuesday on his right hip to repair a labrum tear. Dr. Joseph McCarthy will perform the surgery in Boston.

Tracy explained that a tear developed early in Dreifort's September workouts while he was rehabilitating from knee surgery.

--News and notes: The Dodgers announced their 2004 schedule on fan appreciation day, and it's highlighted by several American League East opponents in interleague play. The Dodgers will play the New York Yankees from June 18-20 at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers play at Toronto from June 8-10 and Boston from June 11-13. The Dodgers also host Baltimore from June 15-17. ... The Dodgers drew 3,138,626 fans this season, the most since 1997, when they had more than 3.3 million.

Jill Painter, [phone]

jill.painter(at)dailynews.com

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(ran in Final edition only) DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO

- Jill Painter