Dodgers Are Unable to Keep a Struggling Eldred Down : Baseball: Pitcher gets early boost from Grudzielanek error, and Brewers hold for 5-4 victory.

The Dodgers’ recent run of success didn’t figure to end Wednesday against Cal Eldred of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Or maybe it did.

In an improbable season in which nothing has unfolded as expected for the disappointing Dodgers, a 5-4 twilight loss to Eldred and the Brewers in front of 23,616, the smallest crowd of the season at Dodger Stadium, was only the most recent example.

Eldred (2-7) won for the first time in seven decisions, taking advantage of the unusual 4:35 p.m. starting time and a costly error by Dodger shortstop Mark Grudzielanek to win for the first time since May 4.

“He threw the ball good,” said Dodger Manager Davey Johnson, whose team had won four of five and seven of nine before Wednesday. “Of course, the shadows can help you, but I thought he threw the ball as good as I’ve seen him throw it. . . . It was a well-pitched game.”

That isn’t said often about games involving Eldred, who brought an 8.07 earned-run average into the game and had won only once since June 30, 1998. In 37 games against National League teams, he was 2-15 with a 5.77 ERA.

In his only previous start at Dodger Stadium, however, the right-hander pitched seven shutout innings, giving up only five hits and one walk in a 3-2, 12-inning Brewer victory on April 27, 1998.

He wasn’t as effective Wednesday, but he was good enough.

He struck out seven but gave up five hits and five walks, leaving with the bases loaded, none out and the Brewers leading, 5-0, in the seventh.

“I just wasn’t effective in the seventh inning,” Eldred said, “and then I handed it to the bullpen and the defense to do the job.”

They got it done, if barely.

Grudzielanek greeted reliever Rocky Coppinger by lining a three-run triple into center field, just beyond the reach of a diving Marquis Grissom. One out later, Grudzielanek scored on a groundout by Eric Karros.

That was it, though, for the Dodger offense, which managed only one more hit against four Brewer relievers.

“Guys were having trouble picking the ball up [because of the shadows],” Johnson said of the Dodgers’ early struggles against Eldred, “but we had our chances. We just couldn’t get the big hit.”

And, ultimately, they couldn’t overcome a first-inning miscue by Grudzielanek, who bobbled a two-out grounder by Jeff Cirillo.

“I misjudged it a little bit and got a tough hop and couldn’t make the play,” the shortstop said. “That’s irritating for me. . . . I was just a little lazy out there early on, and it cost us the game. That can’t happen.”

Mark Loretta, who had singled and moved to third on a double by Geoff Jenkins, scored on the error, and Kevin Barker and Ron Belliard followed with run-scoring singles against Dodger starter Ismael Valdes (8-12).

The Brewers led, 3-0, and most of the fans were still in their cars. Only about 5,000 were in their seats for the game’s opening pitch.

Valdes, coming off a complete-game 9-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs last Friday, gave up only one more hit until the seventh, when he gave up a two-out single to Grissom and a two-run double by Loretta.

“The floodgates opened in the first inning--three unearned runs--but the ones that killed us were the ones we gave up in the seventh,” Johnson said. “[Valdes] was kind of cruising for most of the game, but when he gave up the other two [runs], that was tough to overcome.”

Eldred, whose record hasn’t been above .500 in any season since his rookie year of 1992, made it so. After two stints on the disabled list during a forgettable season, he said the early lead gave him a needed boost.

“It really helped a lot,” he said. “You know that if you’re aggressive and go after guys and a guy hits one 800 miles, so what? You’re still dealing with a one- or two-run lead.”