Maybe Odalis Perez's problem was that he spoke to American reporters.

Once again coming up with an interesting tidbit that the Los Angeles papers missed, Lee Jenkins and Robert Kuwada of the Orange County Register write today that "Kazuhisa Ishii criticized catcher David Ross to Japanese reporters for his pitch selection in the seven-run sixth inning" of Wednesday's loss to the Rockies.

In discussing the event, Jenkins and Kuwada insightfully note that "although Ross admitted he called the wrong pitch to Rene Reyes, Ishii did not shake him off and declined to explain afterward."

Reports have emerged that the Dodger clubhouse was seething after that defeat, but apparently Thursday's 1-0 victory was enough to defuse the tension. One day at a time, I guess.

"What happened was bad," Ishii said to the Register. "But I don't want to answer any questions about it. It's over."

Until tonight, at least. Perez takes the mound, coming off consecutive starts in which he allowed a combined 11 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings.

But those struggles came against the awesome St. Louis Cardinal lineup, which Baseball Prospectus says has the second-best offense in the majors. Prior to that, Perez shut out tonight's foe, the Diamondbacks, on three hits and no walks over eight innings. Arizona is ranked 20th.