Fourth Loss in a Row for Dodgers, 4-2

Showing that you can’t hit rock bottom until you can’t hit Kent Bottenfield, the Dodgers sank farther Tuesday night.

How low? As low as their second consecutive loss to the Colorado Rockies, who only days ago ended a 13-game losing streak. Suddenly, courtesy of the Dodgers, Colorado now has a three-game winning streak.

Low enough to make the Rockies’ three-run first inning against Pedro Astacio plenty for Bottenfield, who entered the game with a 5.25 earned-run average.

Low enough to send the Dodgers to their fourth loss in a row, 4-2, before 34,163 at Dodger Stadium.

The team that a few weeks ago was still talking bravely about reeling in the San Francisco Giants is now entrenched in fourth place, 18 games behind the leaders and only 18 1/2 ahead of the last-place Rockies.

“Can’t get any lower than this, can you?” said center fielder Brett Butler, who was hitless in four at-bats. “Just can’t get any lower.

“We don’t know know what kind of club’s going to show up for us. . . . Tonight was the night we looked poor. Just a collective mess.”

Against a team whose pitching staff has given up an average of almost six runs per game and had lost 20 of 24 after the All-Star break heading into the series, the Dodgers have managed only four runs in two losses.

Entering play Tuesday, opponents had batted .307 against the Rockies. The Dodgers have batted .225 in two games.

The night before, the Dodgers managed only two runs in 11 innings against the Rockies’ pitching staff, led by an eight-inning, six-hit outing by starter Greg Harris.

Tuesday, Bottenfield gave up seven hits, striking out two and walking two. He retired the final 11 he faced.

Bottenfield got only the Rockies’ seventh complete game, and it was his first in the major leagues.

Butler said in the heat of the team’s fall from contention that this was not the time to assign blame.

“If you’re a man, you don’t point fingers,” Butler said. “If you’re a man, you say, ‘Hey, I’m the lead off man, I went oh for four, didn’t get on base.’ You take some responsibility for the loss.”

The Rockies got 11 hits against four pitchers. Colorado was led by second baseman Roberto Mejia’s career-best four-for-four performance.

Astacio has not had the sharpest outings against the teams with the majors’ two worst won-loss records.

Tuesday’s four-inning, four-run performance was his shortest and least-effective start since a two-inning defeat against the New York Mets on July 10.

June 14, in his last start against the Rockies, he lasted only three-plus innings, giving up three runs in a no-decision.

Tuesday, Astacio (8-7) pitched four-plus innings, gave up seven hits and four runs, walked three and struck out three.

After taking almost four hours to beat the Dodgers Monday, the Rockies seized command early this time. Alex Cole led off the game with a single and scored on Daryl Boston’s long two-run home run one out later.

The inning continued with two walks by Astacio and a run-scoring single to left field by catcher Danny Sheaffer.

Colorado got its fourth run in the fifth on an infield single by Mejia--who had singles in his first three official at-bats--a double to left by Boston and a run-scoring ground ball to second base by Jerald Clark that the Dodgers could not turn into an inning-ending double play.

The Dodgers got a run in the bottom of the fifth on a walk and two singles--the last by Jody Reed--to make the score 4-1.

It was 4-2 after Eric Karros’ drive into the left field bleachers on a 2-and-0 count in the sixth, his 15th home run of the season.