Thirteen Proves to Be Unlucky for Dodgers : Baseball: After rallying from a 6-1 deficit, they miss chances and lose to Cubs, 7-6.

It could have been the game that brought the Dodgers euphoria.

Instead, they sat numbly in the clubhouse Wednesday, realizing they played for nearly 4 1/2 hours only to succumb to the Chicago Cubs, 7-6, in 13 innings at Wrigley Field.

Cub shortstop Shawon Dunston hit the game-winner with an infield single with none out and the bases loaded, turning what could have been a comeback from a 6-1 deficit into an exasperating afternoon.

“That was a tough loss,” Dodger catcher Mike Piazza said. “No question about it. What can you do?”

The Dodgers were unclear whether they should be frustrated that they failed to pick up a game on the first-place Colorado Rockies, who lost, 9-7, to Atlanta, or grateful that they remain only one game back with 15 remaining.

Yet, as second baseman Delino DeShields said: “We’re running out of time. We’ve got to win games we’re supposed to win.”

This, the Dodgers will tell you, was one of those games.

They pulled off a marvelous comeback in the ninth inning, scoring three runs off all-star closer Randy Myers, only to squander two opportunities later in the ninth and 11th innings.

“I know the focus will be on the last inning,” said first baseman Eric Karros, who hit a two-run homer in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-3, “but we had ample opportunities to win the game earlier. The last inning was really irrelevant.”

The Dodger bullpen, which kept the Cubs scoreless for eight consecutive innings after starter Ramon Martinez’s departure, suffered a cruel fate.

Mark Guthrie, the Dodgers’ sixth pitcher, opened the 13th by yielding a single up the middle to Mark Grace. Next up was Sammy Sosa, who already had hit a three-run homer and has 34 homers and 110 runs batted in this season.

Sosa, mistakenly thinking he was given the bunt sign, twice tried to bunt. He worked a 1-and-2 count into a full count but was badly fooled on Guthrie’s forkball, hitting a dribbler up the first-base line. Karros fielded the ball, but Guthrie was late covering and Sosa avoided Karros’ tag.

That brought up Luis Gonzalez, who hit a flare into shallow right field. Right fielder Raul Mondesi never saw the ball, actually breaking back. DeShields drifted back, keeping one eye on the ball and one eye out for Mondesi. With his back toward the plate, DeShields had the ball bounce off his glove. DeShields recovered in time and appeared to have thrown out Sosa at second, but umpire Terry Tata ruled him safe.

With the bases loaded for Dunston, Manager Tom Lasorda summoned right-hander Jim Bruske.

Dunston fouled off the first pitch, then hit a high chopper. By the time the ball dropped into shortstop Chad Fonville’s glove, Grace was crossing home plate.

The Cubs, who trail the Dodgers by four games in the wild-card race, celebrated wildly. DeShields stared vacantly into right field. Guthrie sat stunned on the bench, blaming himself.

“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “I’ve got to come in and do it. There’s a reason you get hidden down [in the bullpen], and maybe this is why. I’ve got to make a pitch when it’s time to make a pitch.”

The Dodgers blamed themselves for not ending the game earlier. They came back from a 6-3 deficit in the ninth when Tim Wallach hit a two-run home run and Roberto Kelly hit a solo homer.

But Fonville grounded out with Mitch Webster on second base with one out, and Piazza hit a line drive to second baseman Rey Sanchez with Webster on third.

In the 11th, the Dodgers had runners on second and third with one out. But Fonville grounded out and Piazza struck out.

“Nobody is going to win or lose the division right now,” Karros said. “We’ve just got to win every game no matter what anybody else is doing.”