DODGERS NOTEBOOK: PEREZ WILL NOT HIT THIS BUMP.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

PHOENIX - Two weeks ago, left-handed pitcher Carlos Perez was destined for the minors, but an agreement between him and the Dodgers bought him more time. Now, he is arguably pitching better than anyone else in the rotation, other than Kevin Brown, and won't be the starter bumped because of offdays on the schedule.

Instead, rookie right-hander Eric Gagne will miss a turn in the rotation while Perez pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals. It's a move manager Davey Johnson thought about after watching Perez pitch so well lately.

If not for the bullpen blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning Tuesday, Perez would lead the Dodgers with four wins and be sixth in the National League. Perez is the only Dodgers starter other than Kevin Brown to go at least seven innings in more than one start, throwing that many innings in back-to-back starts.

It's a long way from where Perez was during a 2-10 record with a 7.43 ERA in 1999, not to mention where he was earlier this season. After getting pounded in an April 7 start in Montreal, Perez was sent to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Perez allowed eight runs (five earned) and a pair of three-run homers in 4 2/3 innings, and it seemed like nothing more than an extension of last season.

But then Brown broke his pinkie and the Dodgers were in a tough spot, so they recalled Perez. He responded by going 3-0 with a 4.06 ERA in his next five starts and now has pushed Gagne to the back.

Darren Dreifort will open the series Friday, Chan Ho Park pitches Saturday and Perez ends the series Sunday. Perez is also scheduled to start May 19 in the series opener in Florida, and Gagne should return to the rotation May 20.

``Carlos has pitched better each time out,'' pitching coach Claude Osteen said. ``You can see he has more confidence and he's pitching better.''

Part of the decision to go with Perez against St. Louis is the Cardinals' lineup, which can have a decided left-handed look. The Cardinals are hitting .297 against right-handers and .268 against left-handers.

In typical rookie fashion, Gagne's been hit or miss. He's 0-2 with a 4.14 ERA. But he's failed to last five innings in two of his five starts, and the Dodgers want Gagne to be more pitch efficient.

--Park and Kreuter: Apparently, Dodgers manager Davey Johnson saw enough meltdowns with Todd Hundley catching Chan Ho Park, so now it will be Chad Kreuter catching the right-hander almost exclusively.

Johnson doesn't like to go with personal catchers, but the statistics speak toward Park having success with Kreuter. In the four starts Kreuter's made, Park's 2-2 with a 4.63 ERA. In the three starts Hundley's made, Park is 1-1 with a 7.31 ERA, including Monday's bombardment in which Park allowed eight runs in 3 1/3 innings.

--Odds and ends: Tests conducted on right-hander Gregg Olson's right forearm didn't detect anything new, but he'll remain in Los Angeles and have an MRI today in an attempt to figure out why he's experiencing discomfort in his right forearm. Olson's been on the 15-day disabled list since April 11 (retroactive to April 9) with a pinched nerve in his right forearm. . . . Lefty Jeff Williams, on the disabled list with weakness in his pitching hand, was examined by hand specialist Dr. Norman Zemel in Los Angeles and tests were negative. Williams is slated to begin a throwing program soon. . . . Arizona lefty Randy Johnson's fourth-inning strikeout of Adrian Beltre pushed him past Frank Tanana and into 15th all-time with 2,774. . . . Dodgers third baseman Adrian Beltre's throwing error in the second inning was his team-leading 10th error. It snapped a string of errorless innings for the Dodgers at 43, their longest of the season. . . . Dodgers right fielder Shawn Green had hits in his first two at-bats against Johnson, equaling the number of hits Johnson allowed this season against lefties. They were 2 for 25 entering the game, with Colorado's Todd Helton and Chicago's Mark Grace getting the hits.