Dodgers Don’t Seem Swiftest in This Race

Amid the dogfight that has been and is likely to remain the National League West, this is the way the kennel shaped up Tuesday:

* In Arizona, Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson are posting numbers at the front end of a revised rotation that make desert temperatures seem cool by comparison while helping the division-leading Diamondbacks avoid an extended losing steak.

* In San Francisco, Andres Galarraga has helped awaken a slumbering offense to the extent that the Giants are scoring almost seven runs a game since his arrival, critics have stopped harping about the departure of Ellis Burks, and the hardened Giants, bidding for a third division title in the last five years, have fed off Barry Bonds’ home run chase rather than become distracted by it.

* In Los Angeles, as the Dodgers prepared to open a three-game series with the Montreal Expos, the management team of Dave Wallace and Dan Evans sat at a conference table in an executive office at Dodger Stadium and insisted, as Wallace put it, they are not in a “panic mode” despite four consecutive losses, nine in the last 13 games and the current unavailability of Kevin Brown, Darren Dreifort, Andy Ashby, Luke Prokopec and James Baldwin--the equivalent of an entire rotation.

Of course, even if the interim general manager and his assistant felt differently, there’s only so much panicking you can do after the non-waiver trade deadline. Now, to secure a player from another organization, he first has to clear waivers, and as Evans noted, “there’s a lot of poker playing,” clubs intentionally putting in claims to block a division or wild-card rival from trading for the player.

As it is, Wallace and Evans basically made their moves before the deadline, judiciously acquiring Baldwin, Terry Mulholland and Mike Trombley without sacrificing any of the system’s few prospects, an ongoing objective.

“We want to win, but at what cost?” Wallace said. “We have to be cautious in the long term, think big picture. I mean, the fact of the matter is that we just can’t go out and do anything major. Not that we’re not going to look and try to be creative, but it’s pretty much as you see it.”

In other words, if the Dodgers are going to get help, it’s most likely going to come from within--or as Evans said:

“The time to panic was when we were 71/2 out with a rash of injuries. If we didn’t panic then, why change our stance now when we’re only two out? We know we’re going to get Prokopec back, we know we’re going to get Baldwin back and we’re hopeful of getting Brownie back.”

Hope in August isn’t the same as reality.

The reality is that while Brown tested his strained elbow by playing catch for the first time Tuesday, he could still remain sidelined until 2002, as Ashby and Dreifort are. The reality is that Prokopec was pitching poorly before developing the blister that put him on the disabled list, that Baldwin--even if able to make his scheduled start Saturday--needs to be completely free of the rib strain that hindered his ability to throw breaking pitches in the weekend loss to Philadelphia, and that Terry Adams, who has adapted so well to starting, already has established a career high for innings with six weeks to go.

The reality is that the Dodgers, with apologies to Chan Ho Park, have nothing at the head of their rotation to compare with Schilling and Johnson and nothing of the recent firepower of the Giants. The reality is that the Dodgers have been struggling at a time when those two teams are turning it up.

Consider:

* The Giants faced the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night having won 14 of 17 games since Galarraga’s acquisition, batting .320 with 34 homers and 115 runs.

* The Diamondbacks faced the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night with their rotation having pitched 35 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run, leading to seven wins in their last 10 games. Schilling (17-5) has won five of his last six decisions and three in a row (giving up two earned runs in 24 innings) while Johnson (16-5) has won seven in a row and 11 of his last 12, fashioning a 1.81 earned-run average in that span.

Of course, it’s a race that no one has put away. Nor has anyone gone away, and maybe the Dodgers--who have admirably refrained from excuses under Manager Jim Tracy--can pull out of this recent slide, but the next two weeks could prove decisive. The lure of September’s series of anticipated meetings with the Giants and Diamondbacks under the unbalanced schedule is like a desert mirage, forcing the Dodgers to travel some dangerous terrain in the meantime. There are the three games with the Expos, and three each with the New York Mets, Marlins and Atlanta Braves.

“Right now, we can’t worry about anything beyond tonight’s game,” Wallace said. “We can only worry about what we’re doing, not what anyone else is doing. As an organization, as players, now the fun begins. This is what you work all spring for. I mean, if you can’t have fun in this situation, well, we’re going to find out who those people are, but I feel very confident that we already know what this group is all about. If nothing else, I’m confident that each and every night they’ll compete as well as they can compete.”

There is more at stake than the champagne of a playoff berth.

The Dodgers are spending about $121 million on healthy, injured and released players this year, and major roster and financial decisions may hinge on whether they extend their season into October. In addition, the future roles of Wallace and Evans could be affected, with Oakland’s Billy Beane and Cleveland’s John Hart still among the general manager possibilities.

Neither Wallace nor Evans can worry about that now, however.

“As much as you hate to admit it, all teams go through rough streaks,” Wallace said. “We’ve lost nine of 13 and we’re still right there. I think we can put a positive spin on that, and I’m not simply painting a rosy picture. These are the dog days and it’s going to be very, very difficult. We all recognize that it’s not going to be easy. We understand the reality.”

As pointed out, the reality will be decisive. Time will determine if it has caught up with the Dodgers in their battle with the Diamondbacks and Giants.