Ishii Out, but Brown Not in

Kazuhisa Ishii is out of the Dodger rotation, at least temporarily, but Kevin Brown isn’t in--yet. Manager Jim Tracy said he will use Thursday’s off-day to skip the erratic Ishii in the rotation, while Brown, who struck out nine in four relief innings Sunday night, will remain in the bullpen.

Brown’s sinker and split-fingered fastball were lively Sunday night, and his strong two-run, four-hit performance against Atlanta, coupled with the five runs Ishii allowed the Braves in the first inning, fueled speculation that Brown would replace Ishii in the rotation.

“I’m fielding questions based on what we saw [Sunday] night,� Tracy said of Brown’s 84-pitch stint, his third appearance since returning from surgery for a herniated disk in his lower back. “That was one time. I want to see that again.�

Brown walked two and made one crucial mistake, a two-strike, two-out pitch that Mark DeRosa lined to center for a two-run triple in the third inning. That extended Atlanta’s lead to 7-4 in a game the Braves eventually won, 7-5.

“It was good, bad and ugly,� Brown said of his performance. “I would have liked to have gotten one other guy out, obviously. But some good things did happen.�

Is Brown ready to start again? “I’m not going down that road,� he said. “Whatever they decide, they’ll do. All I’m doing is whatever they want me to do and whatever is best for the team. That’s my job.�

Tracy wants Ishii, who is 13-9 with a 4.33 earned-run average and a major league-leading 100 walks and has a 9.12 ERA in his last six starts, to take some time to rest his arm and clear his head.

The Dodgers won’t need a fifth starter until next Tuesday night in Arizona, and when Ishii returns, Tracy said it will be as a starter, not a reliever.

“This gives him a window of opportunity to reflect on some things,� Tracy said. “It’s a chance for him to step back, see where he’s at and what he needs to address.�

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The Dodgers recalled reliever Guillermo Mota from triple-A Las Vegas Monday and optioned reliever Kevin Beirne to Class-A Vero Beach, a move designed to strengthen their potential postseason roster. By recalling Mota before Saturday, the lanky right-hander with a 97-mph fastball will be eligible for the playoffs. Only players on 25-man big league rosters or the disabled list on Aug. 31 are eligible for postseason play.

With that in mind, the Dodgers will not activate reliever Giovanni Carrara, who is on the disabled list because of a strained right forearm, until Sunday.

*

Left fielder Brian Jordan, on the disabled list because of a protrusion in his lower back, took 40 swings of soft toss Monday and could take batting practice today. Jordan said his back has loosened up considerably the last two days, allowing him to increase the intensity of his rehabilitation workouts.

“I know I’m going in the right direction,� Jordan said. Asked if he was shooting to return by this weekend, he said, “It’s realistic.�

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TONIGHT

DODGERS’

HIDEO NOMO

(12-6, 3.49 ERA)

vs.

DIAMONDBACKS’

MIGUEL BATISTA

(7-7, 4.06 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 7 p.m.

TV--Fox Sports Net 2.

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

Update--In Brown’s absence, Nomo has emerged as a staff ace; the right-hander has 10 quality starts, in which he allowed three earned runs or fewer and threw six innings or more, in his last 13 games. The Dodgers are the only pitching staff in the major leagues to sport four 10-game winners, Nomo, Ishii, Odalis Perez and Omar Daal. Batista, the Arizona right-hander, has won his last three decisions.

Tickets--(323) 224-1448.