Dodgers Get an Early Start on Midseason Break

The Dodgers went quietly into the All-Star break.

And not a moment soon.

The Seattle Mariners held them scoreless again Sunday afternoon in a 2-0 victory at Safeco Field.

The Dodgers wasted starter Chan Ho Park’s best performance in almost a month before a sellout crowd of 45,251.

Joe Oliver had the three hits Park gave up in seven strong innings--producing the game’s runs on a two-run homer in the second inning.

With one out and the bases empty in the second, Dodger right fielder Shawn Green committed his fourth error of the season on David Bell’s sinking line drive.

Two pitches later, Oliver hit an 0-and-2 fastball from Park over the wall in left-center.

“I missed with one pitch . . . one bad pitch beat me,” Park said. “Hard luck. It was just very hard luck today.”

Park (9-6) struck out six and walked three, but lost for the second time in as many starts because another Mariner starter befuddled the listless Dodgers.

Aaron Sele worked seven shutout innings in Saturday’s 11-0 rout. It was Jamie Moyer’s turn Sunday.

With runners on first and second and no one out in the sixth, Moyer (8-3) retired Green, Gary Sheffield and Eric Karros.

He got out of a jam in the seventh after giving up consecutive one-out singles.

Mariner closer Kazuhiro Sasaki quickly retired the side in order in the ninth for his 19th save, ending the first half for both teams.

The Mariners improved to 51-35 and increased their lead in the American League West to three games.

The Dodgers (44-42) are floundering in fourth in the National League West, six games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks.

They were 4-5 on the nine-game trip, and must overcome three teams in their final 76 games to win the division championship.

So much for an easy second half.

“We just haven’t been playing well as a team,” Sheffield said.

“You would think that, this late in the season, we would have taken it up a notch, but we haven’t done that. We haven’t found that groove and then rode it for a long time.

“It’s disappointing because we feel like we can be a better team, but we don’t play with a lot of enthusiasm. We don’t take it to other teams and put them on their heels. These teams aren’t going to just lay down for us. We just can’t take a couple of weeks off and think we’re still going to be in this race [in the second half].

“We’ve got to get going right after the break.”

Being at full strength would help.

Second baseman and No. 2 batter Mark Grudzielanek sat out his third game in a row because of flu. Outfielder F.P. Santangelo, platooning in center and atop the batting order, also missed the game because of flu.

And power-hitting catcher Todd Hundley was sidelined because of a severely bruised right thumb. Hundley--batting .316 with 17 homers and 43 runs batted in--may have to go on the disabled list for the second time this season.

“Frustrating isn’t the word for this,” said Hundley, who injured his thumb in Friday’s victory.

“You know you can’t control injuries, and you’re going to have injuries when you play this game. But to have two injuries like I’ve had this year . . . that’s never happened to me.

“First the [strained rib cage muscle], and now the thumb. I’ve never had two things like this happen in my career.

“It makes you wonder why it’s happening, but you just have to deal with it.”

The Dodgers are dealing with a lot too.