ROMANO MAKES CASE IN DODGERS' DEFEAT ANGELS 6, DODGERS 4.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

If the Dodgers' 25-man roster is written only in pencil, as manager Jim Tracy claimed Friday afternoon, perhaps Jason Romano gave Tracy a reason to break out an eraser.

Tracy will finalize his opening-day roster today, and it will likely include either Romano or Jose Hernandez, but only one of them. Both were in the starting lineup Friday night, and Romano came up with a big hit but the Dodgers lost to the Angels 6-4 in 11 innings in front of 28,528 at Dodger Stadium.

Romano, a 24-year-old outfielder who is out of contract options, made a surprising push for a roster spot this spring and drove in his 14th run with a double off the left-field wall in the fifth inning.

That was Romano's only hit in three at-bats, and ironically it drove in Hernandez, whose squib single that inning was his only hit in four at-bats.

Since both players hit better than .300 this spring, Tracy's decision might come down to whether he prefers having an extra outfielder or a utility infielder on the roster. Hernandez even made a rare appearance at first base and made a nice backhanded stop of a David Eckstein ground ball in the fifth.

Other than the roster drama, the game meant nothing, but it nearly had long-term consequences for the Angels, who lost left fielder Jose Guillen to a second-inning wrist injury that appeared serious.

Guillen was hit on the left wrist by a Jeff Weaver pitch and remained on the ground for several minutes, but X-rays were negative. Guillen was diagnosed with a deep bruise and is considered day-to-day.

Weaver had plenty of other problems. He allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings, including home runs to Troy Glaus and Garret Anderson, but managed to lower his spring ERA to 7.00.

For some reason, Weaver's spot in the rotation is secure, and Tracy apparently will decide today whether Edwin Jackson will open the season in Las Vegas or whether the Dodgers will keep a five-man rotation.

Weaver looked strong early, as he retired the first four Angels, but his game went south quickly.

--Making a move? The Dodgers are believed to be among the eight teams interested in trading for disgruntled Cleveland Indians outfielder Milton Bradley.

Bradley, 25, was removed from Wednesday's game by manager Eric Wedge for failing to run out a fly ball that fell safely. Bradley was not permitted in the Indians' camp Thursday, and general manager Mark Shapiro told the Associated Press that four or five teams have shown ``serious'' interest in Bradley.

The Dodgers' interest in Bradley is somewhat surprising, given Bradley's run-in last season with Paul Lo Duca. Bradley and Lo Duca exchanged heated words during and after a game last June, and Bradley kept one of Lo Duca's baseball cards taped to his locker this spring.

--Some good news: Reliever Paul Shuey, who ruptured a tendon in his right thumb Wednesday, will not need surgery, but is still expected to miss up to six weeks.

Dr. Norman Zemel examined the results of a second MRI on Friday and determined that Shuey's thumb was likely to heal naturally. Shuey will be unable to throw for at least three weeks.

--Nothing major: Lo Duca missed Friday's game after he cut the middle finger in his right hand while opening a box at Dodger Stadium. Lo Duca is expected to play against the Angels at 7:10 tonight.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Dodgers starter Jeff Weaver allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings but managed to lower his spring ERA to 7.00.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer