Dodgers, Russell Appear to Be Sinking in the West

Even during the toughest times, Dodger officials in the O’Malley era traditionally tempered their comments about their evaluation of the team.

They avoided publicly identifying certain games as keys to the season, especially before the All-Star break.

But like many other things this season, under the Fox regime the Dodgers have changed how they handle their business. And that probably isn’t good news for Manager Bill Russell.

Officials candidly spoke about the importance of the team’s current six-game trip against National League West opponents, which began poorly Tuesday night for the Dodgers with an embarrassing 10-6 loss to the division-leading San Diego Padres.

Former Dodger catcher Carlos Hernandez drove in three runs with a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning to help the Padres win their eighth in a row--equaling their season high--before a Qualcomm Stadium crowd of 38,166.

The Dodgers scored three runs in the ninth, but that wasn’t enough to compensate for their problems earlier in the evening.

Closer Trevor Hoffman struck out Jim Eisenreich with runners on second and third to earn his 21st save--in 21 opportunities--and nail down the victory for Kevin Brown (7-3). Dodger starter Chan Ho Park (5-4) struggled, giving up six runs--five earned--in six innings.

That contributed to the Dodgers’ third consecutive loss, which dropped them a game under .500 at 34-35. They now trail the Padres by 10 1/2 games.

Russell has been on the hot seat since spring training, and his standing didn’t improve Tuesday after the team’s poor showing against the Padres. And while high-ranking Dodger decision makers decline to address Russell’s situation specifically, their comments on the overall state of the team pertain to him.

“This is a very important stretch--there’s no question about that,” said Fred Claire, executive vice president. “There’s no one who should deny that, because you can’t deny that.

“My sense of the situation, frankly, is that the team has to start to move forward. I’m not going to say that the next few days are make or break, but I’m not going to deny that there are things we would like to see happen.

“That’s very unusual for me to say, but I’m being realistic about the situation as it relates to where we are [in the standings]. This is what we have to deal with right now, and everyone on the team needs to accept that.”

Russell is in the final year of a two-year, $700,000 contract. Club officials, with the transition to Fox, declined to give him an extension in the off-season.

They weren’t pleased that the team collapsed in September and lost the West race to the San Francisco Giants after leading the division by two games on Sept. 16. They took a wait-and-see approach, and what they’re seeing isn’t what they expected.

“I don’t want to take a position on any particular changes that may or may not be made at this point, but this is obviously an important stretch for us right now,” Bob Graziano, team president, said before the game. “It’s no secret that we believe the team can and should be playing better, but we haven’t set any time, or deadlines or dates to evaluate situations.

“That is an ongoing process, which will continue throughout the season. But like anything, we’re looking for progress.”

With the loss Tuesday, the Dodgers are 15-13 since they traded Mike Piazza on May 15. This is their biggest deficit in the division since ending the 1993 season 23 games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves.

One longtime member of the team recently said that it’s unfair to evaluate Russell on this season, especially considering staff ace Ramon Martinez may have to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.

But more is expected from a team with a payroll of about $57 million. And unfortunately for Russell, he may be the first member of the Dodger family to pay a price for what’s occurring.