Los Angeles Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers manager Jim Tracy has insisted that if Wilson Alvarez is to be used as a starter, durability questions require it to be only as a spot starter, and this just might be the spot to start.

With Odalis Perez unsure whether his shoulder will appear next in a Wednesday assignment in San Francisco or the disabled list, with Jeff Weaver pitching through whatever shoulder discomfort he has and with Scott Erickson unable to get out of the second inning in Friday night's 9-0 loss to the Angels, Alvarez made a strong audition with 4 1/3 scoreless innings to restore order.

"If they need me, just give me the ball," said Alvarez, who has a 0.84 ERA in eight appearances since returning from the disabled list. "I felt good enough to go longer. I just want to pitch."

And with just about every Dodgers starter struggling, Alvarez might get the chance. Erickson started Friday night because Perez couldn't and it didn't go well. He escaped a first-inning mess caused by two walks, only to walk opposing pitcher Jarrod Washburn to load the bases with one out in the second inning. Chone Figgins followed with a triple and Darin Erstad hit a sacrifice fly.

Erickson's 1 2/3 innings represented the shortest start of the season for a Dodger, the shortest for Erickson since 2002 and the fourth time in eight starts this year that he had not completed five innings. His fourth consecutive loss dropped his record to 1-4 and four earned runs boosted his ERA to 7.22.

Tracy said Erickson's outing "wasn't very good," but sidestepped a question about the veteran right-hander's status in the rotation.

"It's not something I dwell on right after a game is over," he said. "On the drive home I'll assess what I saw tonight and what I saw in previous games and what options I have available to myself, instead of blurting out something I'll regret. Instead, I'll think my way through, talk to the staff and organize a plan of attack."

Erickson agreed with Tracy that the walk to Washburn, batting for the first time this year, "was pretty much inexcusable" and "pretty much the downfall of the inning."

But he would not get drawn into a discussion about his future in the rotation.

"There's enough to worry about," he said. "There's always a bigger picture. Guys are sore. Wilson did a great job tonight. I'm sure if I pitch the way I'm capable of, there's nothing to worry about."

Erickson, who last week held Atlanta scoreless for 5 2/3 innings before allowing a Chipper Jones home run, said videos showed a mechanical flaw with his delivery.

"I was flying open, but I realize what I was doing wrong and it's easy to correct," he said.

Meanwhile, Erickson isn't alone. The Dodgers pitching staff has allowed four runs or more each of the last 11 games (losing eight) and at least eight runs in five of them.

Although Alvarez and Duaner Sanchez (two innings) held the Angels scoreless through the eighth inning, Yhency Brazoban was ineffective for the third consecutive appearance, allowing a bases-loaded walk and a grand slam to Juan Rivera in the ninth inning. The team ERA is up to 4.80.

"It didn't start too well and didn't finish up too well," said Tracy. "In between, an awful lot of good took place."

Alvarez did have one shaky inning, needing a perfect relay from J.D. Drew to Jeff Kent to Jason Phillips to nail Vladimir Guerrero at the plate on Steve Finley's double to end the fifth inning. It was the only hit Alvarez allowed.

Guerrero made an awkward head-first slide reaching for home plate and had to leave the game with a painful left shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers offense, shut out for the first time this season, consisted mostly of Cesar Izturis and Olmedo Saenz, who had four of the Dodgers' six hits.

Izturis had his fifth consecutive multiple-hit game with two singles and Saenz had a pair of doubles, but was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Jeff DaVanon trying to score on Phillips' two-out single to end the seventh inning