Luck All Bad for Bohanon

Starter Brian Bohanon has pitched especially well for the Dodgers--and has been especially unlucky.

The burly left-hander made his 10th quality start in 12 outings with the club Friday, pitching a seven-hitter in his first complete game since 1991. And typically when Bohanon starts, the Dodgers lost, 1-0.

Bohanon could be at his wit’s end, but he said he’s doing fine. Well, most of the time.

“It has definitely been frustrating, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “You go out there and you bust your butt, but sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to.”

Bohanon has a 2.58 earned-run average in his last 80 1/3 innings. But he is only 4-6, with two no-decisions, during that span. Overall, he’s 6-10 with a 2.81 ERA.

“I’ve never had anything like this happen at this level,” Bohanon said. “Last year [with the New York Mets], I thought I pitched pretty well in my 14 starts, but I was only getting into the sixth and seventh then.

“This year, I’m showing that I can get into the seventh and eighth pretty much every time out. But I can’t control the other stuff [his record]. You’re going to get the decisions some days, and some days you’re not.”

Bohanon will be eligible for free agency in the off-season, and he figures to be among the most coveted pitchers in the class. He has also been successful in relief, and is equally comfortable starting or coming out of the bullpen, though he prefers to be in the rotation.

“I’ve been on for the last couple of months, although my record doesn’t show it,” he said. “I think I’m showing people what I can do, but I really hate losing.”

*

Left-hander Mark Guthrie hopes to return to action next week.

Guthrie, sidelined recently because of a sore elbow, has been throwing lightly and hopes to pitch off a mound Wednesday. If all goes well, he might be available to pitch Thursday.

“That’s the plan,” Guthrie said. “I’ve been feeling a lot better the last couple of days, but we just have to see how it goes [Wednesday].”

TODAY

DODGERS’

ISMAEL VALDES

(10-9, 3.74 ERA)

vs.

PADRES’

MATT CLEMENT

(0-0, 27.00 ERA)

Qualcomm Stadium, 1 p.m.

TV--Channel 5. Radio--AM 1150, KWKW (1330).

* Update--Valdes is 4-0 with a 2.30 earned-run average in his last five starts. The right-hander has 27 strikeouts and only six walks in 31 1/3 innings during that span. He had a no-decision in his most recent start, giving up seven hits and four runs in six innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. The Dodgers won that game, 6-5, in 11 innings. Clement--the Padres’ minor league pitcher of the year in 1997--is scheduled to make his first major league start. Clement, 24, gave up four hits and three runs in an inning of relief against the Colorado Rockies last Sunday.