GREEN LACKS FIRE; FANS GIVE EARFUL.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI

Shawn Green and any teammate who didn't understand the boos in the middle of a victory Saturday afternoon should learn this about the Dodgers faithful.

The generation of fans who bring their kids to Dodger Stadium this summer came of age in 1988. They watched Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser and Tom Lasorda grind out a World Series championship that year. They believe you win titles with blood-and-guts hustle, an extra pint of sweat, a belly of emotional fire.

L.A. fans might appear cool and well-scrubbed, but they like their ballplayers to get hot and dirty.

So it's no wonder 38,956 fans gave Odalis Perez a series of standing ovations and Green a shower of jeers during the 2-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks that ended the Dodgers' losing streak at seven games. A week after he called out the hitters and front office in an overdue display of frustration, Perez rose to the self-inflicted pressure and took his bid for a no-hitter to the eighth inning. At the halfway point of a disappointing season to which he has reacted all too stoically, Green looked halfhearted as he chose not to dive in right field to try to stop the first hit.

The booing Green heard after Shea Hillenbrand's blooper fell - and then again before and after his own eighth-inning groundout - struck some of the Dodgers as uncalled-for.

``I thought it was pathetic,'' said Paul Lo Duca, the Dodgers' first baseman Saturday, saying he thought the shallow flyball was uncatchable.

``I didn't think he deserved that,'' catcher David Ross said, arguing Green played it smart to hold Hillenbrand to a single.

Even Perez - who gave up two more singles before leaving the game after eight innings - held his tongue when he was invited to criticize Green.

``Everybody's different,'' Perez said. ``I'm not going to blame anybody for not catching the ball or not diving. He tried.''

So much for the theory of a couple of fans seeking Perez's autograph near the third-base dugout after the game.

``What do you think they're saying to Shawn Green right now?'' one fan said, trying to imagine the scene in the Dodgers clubhouse.

``They're kicking Green's ass right now,'' the other fan joked.

In fact, Green had to defend himself only against some hard questions from reporters.

Pointing out he was playing Hillenbrand deep to begin with, Green said he chased the ball hard but decided he couldn't have gloved it even if he dived.

``If I have a chance, especially with a no-hitter on the line, I'm going to dive for it,'' Green said. ``But I'm not going to dive 8 to 10 feet and then (miss the ball and) have the guy go to second base, regardless of how people are going to react to it.

``I'm not going to go out there and dive just to please everybody.''

Asked how he interpreted the booing, Green said, ``I don't interpret it.''

Well, he should try.

Every Dodger should try.

The crowd wants to see a team desperate to turn its losing streak around before another season, the 15th since that last World Series title, slips away. When the afternoon began, the Dodgers were in third place, 6 1/2 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants and 2 1/2 behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who lead the wild-card race.

They saw it from Perez in the form of his quotes after a 3-1 loss to the Angels last Sunday.

``We need to start producing - or get some other players to produce - because all the pressure's on the pitching staff and that's not fair,'' Perez said. ``The trade deadline is coming (at the end of July). If we don't make a move, we're going to waste this season like last season.''

But they didn't see it in the reaction to those remarks from teammates who thought he should have kept his criticism private, even though he was stating the obvious.

And they didn't see it from Shawn Green on Saturday.

Manager Jim Tracy said before the game the Dodgers seemed to be playing in ``anticipation that something bad is going to happen.''

Green fell victim to that negative thinking as he loped toward the Hillenbrand blooper that led off the eighth.

Even though the ball's trajectory wouldn't have taken it far past Green if he'd missed it, and even though the Dodgers' 2-0 lead would be safe with a runner on second base, he played it safe.

When he should have gone all out.

``The fans, they watch the game,'' Perez said even as he defended Green's effort. ``They're not stupid. They know what's going on. If they think he wasn't trying, that's what they see. They pay for our salary. ... They wanted the no-hitter, believe me.''

As much as some of us might wish to see Green angry and smash up a water cooler as he struggles toward the All-Star break with a .248 average and nine home runs, that's too much to expect from such an even-tempered man.

It's not too much, though, to ask the Dodgers' highest-paid position player to go beyond the call of duty as a teammate's no-hitter hangs in the air.

Take it from 38,000 fans.

Kirk Gibson dives for that ball.

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Photo:

Odalis Perez, pictured, showed passion when he criticized the Dodgers' offense. Shawn Green needed the same spirit Saturday.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer