Dodgers Suffer a Staff Infection

Pedro Astacio, who wiggles his arm like an eel between pitches, is wiggling his way out of the Dodger rotation.

Astacio, who hasn’t won since May 1, extended his career-worst losing streak to seven games, giving up six runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Dodgers, 6-2, Tuesday night before 45,194 at Dodger Stadium.

“Astacio’s been struggling, but we’re going to keep putting him out there until he gets straightened out,” Manager Bill Russell said. “The velocity was there, but he was just all over the strike zone. He made a lot of bad pitches.”

Pitching is supposed to be the Dodgers’ biggest asset, but Ramon Martinez is out indefinitely because of a shoulder injury and Ismael Valdes (3-8) and Astacio (3-7) have been unproductive.

“These are the guys that got us to the playoffs the last two years,” Russell said. “These guys are going to get us to the playoffs this year. I believe in them. A couple of guys are struggling, but we have to pick them up with some runs.”

Although the Dodgers have 12 pitchers, Russell doesn’t have many options. With Tom Candiotti pressed into the rotation because of Martinez’s injury, his only other realistic option would be to insert Mike Harkey, whose contract was purchased from Albuquerque on Monday, into the rotation.

However, Russell said he has no plans to demote Astacio.

“He’s a fighter,” Russell said. “When you’re a starting pitcher and you’re not getting the job done, obviously you feel a little tension out there.”

Harkey, 35-36 in seven seasons with the Angels, Rockies, Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics, gave up one hit with three strikeouts and two walks in 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his first appearance as a Dodger in relief of Astacio.

Former Dodger pitcher Darren Holmes, pressed into service after Colorado starter Roger Bailey strained his left hamstring, gave up only two runs on five hits in his third start in 335 major league appearances.

Holmes, who hadn’t pitched a complete game since 1989, when he was with the Dodgers’ San Antonio farm team, registered a career-best seven strikeouts in eight innings as the Dodgers fell six games behind San Francisco in the NL West.

“He came up with a changeup, which is something we haven’t seen much of,” Russell said. “He pitched a great game. He had it all working tonight.”

The Dodgers didn’t have a hit after Wilton Guerrero’s leadoff single in fifth inning until Raul Mondesi singled with one out in the ninth off reliever Curtis Leskanic.

Astacio got off to an atrocious start, giving up a two-run home run to Larry Walker and an RBI double to Ellis Burks in the first inning. He gave up run-scoring hits to Burks and Dante Bichette in the third.

Astacio didn’t make it through the fourth. He was booed as he ran to the dugout after he was relieved by Harkey after walking Andres Galarraga with the bases loaded. Harvey got Burks to pop out to right.

The Dodgers scored on Mike Piazza’s run-scoring single in the first and Todd Zeile’s sacrifice fly in the third, but they never recovered from Colorado’s three-run first.

Walker, who came into the game tied for second with Galarraga in home runs behind league leader Jeff Bagwell, drilled Astacio’s pitch over the center-field fence. It was his 16th road home run.

The Rockies, who hit 149 home runs in Denver’s mile-high altitude last season and 72 on the road, have hit 62 home runs in their first 42 road games and are on pace to hit 121 road home runs.

“Right now we have more home runs on the road than we have at home, so we’re excited,” said Galarraga, who has hit 12 of his 21 home runs on the road, including a 529-foot blast at Florida on May 31. “People see what we do on the road. We feel great to turn around that kind of negative.”