Pirates, Fans Rip Perez

As the Dodgers fade fast in the National League West, their thoughts turn to unresolved issues and difficult decisions.

They still have big problems, despite what some team officials might believe, as evidenced Tuesday night in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-0 victory at Dodger Stadium.

Carlos Perez tops the list.

The Pirates took extended batting practice against the soft-tossing left-hander, staking starter Jose Silva to a 6-0 lead after four innings before 22,780.

They scored three runs in the first inning as Perez (5-8) gave up five hits in a row, igniting boos in a crowd that had seen that show before.

How ugly did things get?

The crowd applauded when Perez was forced to leave with two out in the fourth because of a strained rotator cuff.

“Carlos has got a shoulder strain and he’s out indefinitely,” said Manager Davey Johnson, who might recall Eric Gagne from triple-A Albuquerque. “He felt it pretty bad in the game, so we just have to wait and see.

“I’m sure he’s going to have to have an MRI. I’m sure he won’t be able to start in five days. We’ll look at our options again, but we need another arm.”

Perez was distraught.

“I’ve been stiff since Chicago,” he said of the Dodgers’ trip there Aug. 25-27. “Today, from the beginning of the game I was kind of stiff and I felt something pop in the back of my shoulder.

“I tried to push myself to stay in the rotation to try to help my team win some games. I don’t want to say no when they need me, but nobody could pitch like this.”

Perez again provided lots of bad material for frustrated fans--and his teammates joined the act.

The Dodgers reinforced their reputation as one of the majors’ worst fielding teams.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre had two errors, increasing his team-leading total to 22.

Beltre and second baseman Mark Grudzielanek committed consecutive errors in the sixth that contributed to an unearned run, providing another circus-type sequence defensively for a team that has had too many.

And the Dodgers were even worse offensively.

They had only five hits against Silva (9-9) in seven strong innings, and the Dodgers went quietly against relievers Rich Loiselle and Marc Wilkins.

The Pirates (58-79) had 15 hits after pounding 13 in Monday’s 12-1 victory.

In the fifth, leadoff batter Tom Goodwin struck out with two out and runners on first and third. His fielder’s choice ended the seventh with runners on first and second.

Silva was 1-5 with a 13.50 earned-run average in six starts last month, and opponents batted .474 against him. The right-hander also had given up 52 earned runs in 68 1/2 innings.

But Silva looked great against the Dodgers (73-66), who have dropped nine games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants in the West and 7 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the wild-card spot.

The $98-million Dodgers can’t even pack the house for fireworks these days, let alone bad baseball.

Perez grimaced in pain after throwing his third pitch to Brian Giles in the fourth.

Johnson and trainer Stan Johnson went to the mound, and Perez was removed to the delight of the crowd.

He gave up 10 hits and was charged with six runs (five earned) in 3 2/3 innings. Perez threw 62 strikes in 96 pitches--too many in such a short outing.

It was Perez’s second quick exit in three starts since Johnson reinstated him to the rotation.

He was chased after two-plus innings Aug. 31 in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 8-2 victory. On Tuesday, Perez’s ERA increased from 5.39 to 5.56.

Perez has had many reprieves the last two season because he is owed $7.5 million next season in a three-year, $15.6-million deal that pains the Dodgers more each time Perez pitches.

He is listed as day-to-day, and the Dodgers won’t rush him.