DODGERS NOTEBOOK: PEREZ TO GO ON DL IF NECESSARY.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Odalis Perez remained uncertain when his next start would be. If his unavailability is causing a shortage of players on the active roster, however, then the Dodgers' left-hander said he should be placed on the disabled list.

The situation became magnified Thursday when manager Jim Tracy batted pitcher Troy Brohawn in the eighth inning with the Dodgers leading by one, even though Brohawn wasn't going to pitch the ninth inning.

Tracy did so because Ron Coomer was the only bat left on the bench, and Tracy didn't want to have Coomer hit in the ninth spot and bat closer Eric Gagne in the fifth spot in case San Diego tied the score.

Since the Dodgers are carrying 12 pitchers, they have only one reserve middle infielder, Jolbert Cabrera. It forced Tracy to shift third baseman Adrian Beltre to shortstop for the ninth inning.

``I would say that's the best thing for the team, and if they know right now that I'm not able to pitch, they should put me on the DL and bring a position player up,'' Perez said. ``I don't want them to be overusing the guys in the bullpen or the guys on the bench. I don't want that and they don't want that, either.''

Perez has a sprained right ankle that forced him to miss one start and could keep him inactive for 10 more days. While Perez played catch Friday, his ankle won't get a rigorous test until Sunday, when he is scheduled to throw a bullpen session.

Perez already canceled two bullpen sessions because of swelling and discomfort in the ankle, which he injured running the bases April 11 in San Francisco.

However, placing Perez on the 15-day disabled list creates another problem. Because of Monday's day off, the Dodgers won't need a fifth starter until April 26. But if Perez was disabled, he wouldn't return until April 27.

But could Perez be ready for an April 26 start?

``It will be very tough,'' said Perez, who had X-rays and a bone scan taken a few days ago. ``They say there is nothing there. It still hurts.''

--SARS concerns: Dodgers right-hander Paul Quantrill, whose offseason home is in Port Hope, Ontario, was relieved when his family recently traveled to Los Angeles from their Toronto-area home considering the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) scare gripping the city.

Quantrill and his wife, Alyson, talked about waiting until things calmed down before getting on a plane with the couple's two children.

``We did a little research, and I watched a special on CNN and learned some things, so we decided to do it,'' Quantrill said. ``It was a thing where we got masks.''

However, Quantrill keeps up on the epidemic since much of his family still lives in the Toronto area, including his sister, who is about to give birth.

``Some hospitals won't even let the husbands in,'' Quantrill said.

--Head strong: Dodgers infielder Alex Cora left the field in an ambulance last August after being injured diving into second base. In the aftermath, Cora said he wouldn't go head-first into bases anymore, but it hasn't worked out that way. That was evident when he doubled in the second inning and dived into the bag.

``I tried it in the winter and it didn't work out,'' Cora said. ``I tried not to, but when the game was on the line I just reacted to the situation. There's nothing I can do.''

--Odds and ends: Dodgers right-hander Andy Ashby will make a spot start today, but his pitch count will be closely monitored since he hasn't thrown more than two innings in any of his outings. ``I don't see him going 110, but it should be 70 or so,'' Dodgers pitching coach Jim Colborn said. ... Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng will be honored Tuesday at City Hall as part of Los Angeles Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

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DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO

- Brian Dohn