Dodgers Do What It Takes to Lose

Players have stopped saying the situation will eventually improve.

The manager wonders aloud about the perplexing play of the veteran ballclub.

These are the supposedly improved Dodgers, with one of the highest payrolls in baseball history, who dropped two games under .500 Saturday afternoon after a 4-3 interleague loss to the Oakland Athletics.

The Dodgers hit into four double plays before a crowd of 31,391 at Network Associates Coliseum. They scored a run in the ninth against Oakland closer Bill Taylor, but Taylor hung on to earn his 16th save.

The Dodgers have lost five of six, including the first two in the three-game series against the Athletics. They committed two errors and continued to make mental mistakes that a team with an $80-million payroll shouldn’t be making.

The best thing the Dodgers have going for them is that there is still plenty of time left. Then again, that leaves more time for more disappointing play.

“It’s a drain right now, and it’s a lot tougher than anyone wants it to be or expected,” said left fielder Gary Sheffield, who went hitless in four at-bats as the designated hitter.

“From a mental standpoint, it can get you down, but you don’t have any choice but to keep battling. I don’t know [what to do about the Dodgers’ poor play], I’ll let [General Manager Kevin] Malone figure that out. From a player standpoint, the only thing you do is keep trying. That’s all you can do.

“You just have to keep going, but you realize things aren’t going good. You know nobody really knows what’s going to happen. That’s just the facts.”

The facts are not encouraging for the Dodgers.

Manager Davey Johnson is seemingly more bewildered by his team’s shortcomings each day. Johnson appeared his most haggard to this point after the latest setback, and he abruptly ended his postgame session with reporters because he was tired of recounting all the Dodgers did wrong.

“It was another tough one to take,” Johnson said. “We didn’t do the things we’re capable of doing. There was some not real heads-up stuff out there. That kind of chews at you when you’re losing.”

For the fourth time in as many starts, Ismael Valdes (5-5) gave up three earned runs or less while working at least five innings. But he is 1-3 during that span.

“It’s been tough the last five starts,” said Valdes, who gave up eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. “There’s nothing really I can do, I just try to keep my team in the game.”

The Dodgers outhit the Athletics, 12-8, but again failed to produce in key situations. In the sixth, right fielder Raul Mondesi contributed to the go-ahead run scoring on his error.

With the bases loaded, Eric Chavez singled to right against Valdes, driving in Ben Grieve. John Jaha initially stopped at third, but Jaha went to the plate when Mondesi dropped the ball, and first baseman Eric Karros cut off Mondesi’s throw and his relay was late.

Mondesi also was picked off second after leading off the top of the sixth. Karros then hit his third home run in as many games--and 10th overall--to tie the score, 2-2.

“Those types of things happen when you’re struggling,” said second baseman Eric Young, who went two for three with a run and run batted in. “You’re not going to get the breaks, like what happened all the time today. Whenever we turned around, something was going against us.”

Oakland starter Kenny Rogers (4-2) worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the second when Angel Pena grounded into the first of the Dodgers’ four double plays, but their most unconventional of the day.

With Adrian Beltre on first, Pena grounded to shortstop Miguel Tejada, who threw to second baseman Tony Phillips. Beltre knocked Phillips down with a hard slide before he could make a throw and Karros scored from third.

However, second base umpire John Shulock ruled that Beltre slid too late and called the automatic double play. That set the tone for another miserable afternoon for the Dodgers.

By now, they’re getting used to it.