Dodgers: Best in the National League and still capable of stinking it up

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Is it safe to open your eyes yet?

Ugh, that gets my vote as the Dodgers’ ugliest loss of the year.

Not just because of the score -- though losing 10-1 qualifies it alone -- but the way the Dodgers lost.

Lifeless at-bats. Missed opportunities. Misplays in the field. Pitchers failing to step up. Pitchers still off in some other mysterious planet.

The Dodgers should have known what kind of night it was going to be when Rafael Furcal led off the first with a triple.

And couldn’t score.

‘It was not a good sign,’’ said manager Joe Torre.

Matt Kemp, in another one of his funks, flied out to medium center. Since Torii Hunter has a cannon for an arm and that was only the first out, third base coach Larry Bowa elected not to send Furcal. Which in hindsight proved a mistake when Hunter’s throw went about 35 feet up the line.

Kemp went on to a 0-for-4 night and twice was caught looking at a third strike. He is now in an 0-for-11 skid and hitting .190 in his 10 games this month, with three RBI.

Andre Ethier followed Kemp’s fly with a walk, which left it to cleanup hitter Manny Ramirez, who quickly popped up. Manny also went 0-for-4 and just generally looked uninterested. He’s also in an 0-for-11 skid.

James Loney grounded out and Furcal was left stranded at third.

The Angels scored their first run in the third after catcher Russell Martin couldn’t block a wild pitch by Chad Billingsley on strike three to pitcher Joel Pineiro. This is becoming a growing problem of late for Martin.

Pineiro would go on to become a growing problem for Billingsley.

Pineiro walked his next two times up to become only the second pitcher since the start of interleague play in 1997 to score three times. It was the first time for an Angels pitcher since 1962.

‘I think [Billingsley] got frustrated, especially with the pitcher walking a couple of times,’’ Torre said.

Loney tied the game with a solo home run in the fourth, and the Dodgers evening had peaked.

The Angels took the lead with three runs in the fifth after Billingsley loaded the bases on a walk to Pineiro, an Erick Aybar single and by hitting Hunter. Hideki Matsui sent a drive to right-center that Ethier dived for but couldn’t reach, and the double cleared the bases.

Which seemed to take the fight out of the Dodgers. Pineiro recorded the last 15 consecutive outs to pitch a complete game.

‘They played hard,’’ Torre said. ‘They’re just used to being in close games and got impatient.’’

Ah, so that’s it. They just don’t know how to play when they fall behind, which only became worse when the Angels added four more in the sixth.

George Sherrill took over for Billingsley with the bases loaded and two outs. And then looked an awful like the Sherrill, who despite a stint on the disabled list, owned a 7.36 ERA.

Sherrill walked one run in and then gave up a three-run double to Hunter.

‘I felt a lot better,’’ Sherrill said. ‘But I guess it didn’t look like it.’’

The Dodgers didn’t look like a team tied for the lead in the National League West. They looked listless.And I have a theory for that: Vladimir Shpunt, the 71-year-old Russian healer hired by Frank and Jamie McCourt to send positive energy to the Dodgers, is upset he’s no longer in their employ and has been outed by The Times. Now he’s sending bad energy.

-- Steve Dilbeck