Even Dodgers Losing Hope for Wild Card

Demoralizing defeats are common for the Dodgers these days, but their most recent setbacks have been especially traumatic.

And revealing.

They squandered their second late-inning lead in as many days Saturday afternoon, losing to the New York Mets, 4-3, before 49,181 at Dodger Stadium.

Afterward, the emotionally drained Dodgers conceded that they probably won’t earn the National League wild-card berth.

“This is just senseless,” second baseman Eric Young said. “There are really no words to explain the things that have happened to us.

“It’s going to be tough. I guess you can say that you have a chance until you’re mathematically eliminated, but the task of overcoming [their eight-game deficit] may be overwhelming.”

Others agreed.

“We’re definitely in a tougher situation now than we were in two days ago,” first baseman Eric Karros said. “I don’t think anyone would argue that this isn’t frustrating for anyone in our position.

“If the fans, or anyone from the outside, say this is frustrating for them, well, then magnify that 1,000 times for us. We’ve had opportunities. We get right to that point where there’s a game we have to win, and the bottom line is that we don’t get it done.”

That occurred again Saturday.

Edgardo Alfonzo hit a game-winning, two-out, two-run home run in the ninth against Dodger closer Jeff Shaw (3-8), who also took the loss in the Mets’ 5-4 victory in 10 innings in the series opener Friday.

“We lose these games, we keep losing these games,” said center fielder Raul Mondesi, who hit his team-leading 29th homer in the second. “This is always the same thing.”

The Dodgers dropped to two games under .500 at 67-69, despite hitting three solo homers. They trail the front-running Mets by eight games for the wild-card berth with 26 games remaining.

“It seems as though we do enough for seven or eight innings, but then we just can’t seem to make the plays to close the door when we have to,” said left fielder Trenidad Hubbard, who went two for four and gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the first with his fifth homer.

“Last night, then today the same thing. But you can also go back to other games where it happens. We have leads, and then something happens. It makes it [qualifying for the playoffs] so much harder. You never want to believe anything is impossible, but this is tough.”

The Dodgers led, 4-1, through six innings in the opener against the Mets on Friday. They led, 3-2, in the ninth Saturday after another strong effort by Brian Bohanon.

The steady left-hander pitched eight innings against his former team, giving up 11 hits and two runs. Bohanon, who lowered his earned-run average to 2.34 with the Dodgers, struck four and walked two, while throwing 124 pitches, 73 for strikes.

Manager Glenn Hoffman figured that 124 pitches were enough, and turned to Shaw to close the game. Shaw’s appearance Saturday was his fifth in six days.

He got the first two outs, but then Tony Phillips walked. On a 2-and-2 count, Alfonzo hit his 12th homer to left-center field.

The Dodgers had runners on first and second against New York closer John Franco in the ninth, but Tom Prince struck out swinging as Franco earned his second save in the series--and 30th overall--while securing the victory for starter Al Leiter (13-5).

Shaw suffered his second loss in as many games and his third blown save of the week. He gave up two ninth-inning homers in a 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday, denying Bohanon a victory in that game as well.

“This is very disheartening,” said Bohanon, who is 4-4 in 10 starts with the team, despite his outstanding performances.

“It’s hard to explain what’s going on with this team right now. We haven’t put anything together. As far as the mountain [earning the wild-card berth], yeah, it’s a pretty big mountain.”

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Missed Opportunities

Interim General Manager Tommy Lasorda acquired Jeff Shaw from the Reds because he said the Dodgers needed a reliable closer to remain in playoff contention. But Shaw has been no more reliable than Scott Radinsky and Antonio Osuna, the two men he replaced. A look at this season’s blown save leaders:

Pitcher, Team: Blown saves

Mark Leiter, Philadelphia: 11

Scott Radinsky, Dodgers: 10

Jeff Shaw, Dodgers: 9

Bobby Ayala, Seattle: 9

Rick Aguilera, Minnesota: 8

Jeff Brantley, St. Louis: 8

R. Hernandez, Tampa Bay: 8

Rich Loiselle, Pittsburgh: 8