Offensive Woes Continue for Frustrated Dodgers

Dodger starting pitcher Ramon Martinez made a few mistakes Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers.

But the Dodger offense isn’t capable of overcoming mistakes.

The hitters’ inconsistency continued in the team’s third consecutive loss, 5-2, before 10,008 at County Stadium.

John Jaha hit a fifth-inning grand slam against Martinez, and Brewer starter Jeff Juden scattered nine hits in pitching his first complete game.

Mike Piazza hit a solo homer, his fifth of the season, but it didn’t matter. The Dodgers are struggling again, and Manager Bill Russell admittedly doesn’t have answers.

“It’s the same thing, we’re just not producing, we’re not getting two-out base hits,” said Russell, whose team scored two runs in losing the final two games of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

“We’re not bunching hits together, and you can’t pinpoint one person because everybody is in the same boat. Ramon really made just one bad pitch, but we couldn’t fight back because we didn’t give him any runs. Go talk to [the players], because I have no answers right now.”

They aren’t certain what to do either.

“It’s very frustrating,” rookie first baseman Paul Konerko said. “We’re not losing games because we’re not ready to play, or because we’re not trying hard enough.

“We’re beating our heads in trying to win, but nothing seems to be working. It’s frustrating for all of us.”

The starting pitchers especially.

Martinez (2-2), who pitched six innings, wasn’t as sharp as he had been in his previous three starts, but Dodger pitchers are working under duress because of the offensive problems, and Martinez said the pressure affected him Tuesday.

“With the kind of offense we have right now, it’s a little difficult,” he said. “If you make a mistake, it might cost you the game. That’s what happened tonight.”

Fernando Vina hit his first mistake into the right-field seats to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead in the first. With one out in the fifth, Martinez hit Jesse Levis with a pitch, and Juden singled to left.

Martinez, who threw 110 pitches, then walked Vina to load the bases. He struck out Jeff Cirillo for the second out with Jaha on deck.

Jaha hit his first pitch--a fastball--over the wall in right field for his fifth grand slam, which ties him for first on the team’s all-time list with Cecil Cooper.

“When you go out there, you know we’re struggling to score runs, so you try not to make any mistakes,” he said. “But that’s when you make mistakes, when you’re trying to be careful.

“I know it’s early, but something has to change soon. We have to do something different, or we’re going to fall too far behind [the first-place San Diego Padres].”

Konerko is among those struggling most, batting .204 with two RBIs. One play in the second inning Tuesday underscored his problems.

He popped up with two out and Todd Zeile on third, and Vina made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch in shallow right field to end the inning. “I’m one of the guys who is supposed to be helping [Piazza and Todd Zeile], and I’m not doing that,” he said. “It doesn’t help when you have a first baseman batting .200 out there with two RBIs.

“I knew that I was going to be facing tougher competition [in the major leagues], but I haven’t swung the bat yet once like I’m capable of swinging. This is just ridiculous.”

Many of his teammates can relate.