Dodgers: No Offense, No Excuses

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda shook his head in frustration after his team was shut out for the second time this season, 3-0, by the Chicago Cubs on Sunday before 45,441 at Dodger Stadium.

“We just couldn’t generate any offense today,” Lasorda said. “We just couldn’t hit the ball. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that. We’re in a team slump right now.”

The Dodgers, who haven’t scored in 12 1/3 innings, got only one runner as far as third base.

“You can say what you want, but there’s really no excuse for it,” said catcher Mike Piazza, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a sixth-inning single. “What can you do? We’re spinning our wheels up there.”

Depleted by injuries to first baseman Eric Karros (strained rib cage), shortstop Greg Gagne (hamstring) and left fielder Billy Ashley (hamstring), the Dodgers rank next to last in the National League in runs scored (89).

“You can make excuses, but I don’t believe in making excuses, I just think we’re a bad offensive club right now,” Piazza said. “It seems like we’re not really manufacturing any runs. We’re not thinking up there. We’re not playing situation baseball.”

Right fielder Raul Mondesi, who replaced Karros as the cleanup batter, continued to struggle, going hitless in four at-bats. Batting .194, Mondesi has four hits in his last 45 at-bats (.089). Mondesi declined comment, waving off a reporter after the game.

Third baseman Mike Blowers, batting .188 before the game, singled in his first two at-bats to raise his average to .205.

The Dodgers, who committed eight errors that resulted in 14 runs in losing three of four games at Wrigley Field three weeks ago, gave the Cubs their first run in the fourth inning on shortstop Chad Fonville’s error.

After Dodger starter Chan Ho Park (2-1) walked Mark Grace and Sammy Sosa, Luis Gonzalez hit an apparent double-play ball to first baseman Dave Hansen, who threw to Fonville.

Fonville, who extended both hands to take the throw and leaped to avoid Sosa, appeared to be looking at Sosa instead of the ball and it sailed into left field, allowing Grace to score.

Park, who gave up three hits before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning, gave up another run in the sixth when Scott Servais singled in Sosa.

Grace kept the inning alive when he broke up a double play on Sosa’s grounder to third when he appeared to run out of the base path to take out second baseman Delino DeShields.

Asked if Grace’s slide was out of of line, DeShields said, “It was close. It’s just tough to question umpires’ calls these days. They take it a little too personally. It was just a close call.”

The Dodgers, who scored five runs in Park’s first start this season, have scored only five runs in his last three starts.

“He kept his fastball down and away and got his curveball and his change up where he needed to,” Dodger pitching Coach Dave Wallace said.

With one out in the seventh, Leo Gomez hit his fourth home run of the season off reliever Jim Bruske, who was called up Thursday from the minors. Gomez belted a one-one pitch into the left field bleachers. Following the lead of the fans at Wrigley Field, who throw opponents’ home run balls back onto the field, the Dodger fans threw Gomez’s ball back.

Cub starter Frank Castillo (1-2), winless in 14 April starts before the game, gave up six hits to register the third shutout of his career.

“Castillo hadn’t won a game in April in his career, so I guess he was due,” said Dodger center fielder Brett Butler, who struck out twice. “We’re a little banged up, but either you quit or get tough, and we’re going to get tough.”