ISSUE NOW IS DIVE NOT TAKEN PEREZ'S NO-HIT BID LEADS TO DISPUTE DODGERS 2, ARIZONA 0.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

Odalis Perez has been here before. A few times, just not like this.

Perez was in the midst of pitching a gem Saturday, six days after talking himself into the middle of a clubhouse controversy. He had criticized teammates for their failure to produce offensively. Some had fired back.

The emotional Perez responded by flirting with a no-hitter through seven innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was six outs away, the closest he's ever been.

He pitched the Dodgers out of a seven-game losing streak, the longest since 1993, but it was hardly without more controversy. This time, Perez wasn't at the center of it.

In the eighth inning, Shea Hillenbrand broke up the no-hit bid when he blooped a leadoff single to right field. It landed an estimated 5 to 10 feet in front of Shawn Green, who fielded the ball but didn't make a diving attempt. Perez turned and punched his glove.

Fans booed Green mercilessly for not diving. So much so that Paul Lo Duca told Green not to worry about it. Later Lo Duca called the reaction ``pathetic.''

The crowd generously applauded Perez, who powered the Dodgers to a 2-0 victory over Arizona in front of 38,956 at Dodger Stadium.

``(The no-hitter) will come,'' Perez said. ``There will come the day when I'm going to get it.''

Just not on this day, when the always-considerate, usually lovable Green roused the ire of fans. He was booed so badly, only a former Dodger like Gary Sheffield can understand.

``I'm running as hard as I can,'' Green said. ``I'm not going to put on a show, that's ridiculous. If I thought I had any chance at all to catch that, I would have dove for it.''

Green has received scattered boos this season because his numbers are way down. He's batting just .248 with nine home runs.

But nothing like this.

Green said he dives all the time. He admitted to playing Hillenbrand, Arizona's No. 5 hitter, deep but defended his defense.

Perez was careful in his remarks after the game. When asked whether Green had a chance to catch it, he said, ``I don't know.''

He added: ``Everyone's different. I blame no one for not catching the ball or not diving. He tried. He tried.''

Perez, who allowed three hits and struck out five in eight innings, used a lively fastball, curveball and changeup to fluster the Diamondbacks and end his own frustration. He won for the first time in his past six starts. In his seven losses, the Dodgers had scored just two runs per game. A two-run fourth inning was enough for Perez and the Dodgers on Saturday.

And closer Eric Gagne earned his 30th save in as many opportunities.

Perez, an All-Star last year, threw two one-hitters - at Colorado and Chicago - last year. He had a close call in New York. And he had Lo Duca to thank for keeping the no-hit bid alive Saturday.

Lo Duca, who played first base, made two spectacular plays in the seventh. He took a bad-hop grounder in the chest, jumped high off the ground and got the first out of the seventh. After a groundout, Lo Duca then made a diving stop to his left on a Luis Gonzalez grounder just inside the first-base line.

Perez clapped for Lo Duca as he walked back to the dugout.

``The whole thing with Odalis was blown out of proportion,'' Lo Duca said of the pitcher's critical comments. ``He was frustrated. We got it out in the open and talked to him. That was it.''

Lo Duca said Perez could've given up 20 runs and his teammates would still feel the same.

Perez made the sign of the cross just before the eighth inning in the dugout and tucked his chain into his jersey. He sat in the same dugout with Hideo Nomo, who threw the last no-hitter for the Dodgers in 1996 against Colorado.

After the game, Perez signed autographs and conducted interviews. And said all the right things.

Jill Painter, [phone]

jill.painter(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Shawn Green fields the Arizona hit that broke up Odalis Perez's bid for a no-hitter Saturday.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer