Dodgers Waste a Big Chance

Jim Tracy has been heavily criticized for using Chan Ho Park in a rare and ill-fated relief role on Monday.

The way Dodger relievers Jeff Shaw and Mike Trombley performed Wednesday night against the San Diego Padres, maybe the Dodger manager knew what he was doing after all.

Shaw, the closer, gave up a game-tying home run to Bubba Trammell to lead off the ninth inning and Trombley loaded the bases with none out in the 10th inning before giving up a two-run, two-out single to Trammell.

The Dodgers’ 4-3, 10-inning loss in front of 31,902 at Dodger Stadium completed a three-game sweep by the Padres, who won seven of nine at Chavez Ravine this season.

Adding salt to the Dodgers’ wound that is their declining playoff hopes was the fact that Padre reliever Jose Nunez, who was released by the Dodgers in May, earned the win with an inning of shutout ball to improve to 4-2.

Padre closer Trevor Hoffman gave up a run but settled down to get his 39th save.

Trombley (0-3) suffered the loss.

“Obviously, it’s a very tough game to lose knowing full well we had a full game to pick up,” Tracy said. “We’ve lost two days on the calendar, but we have not lost any ground in the standings.”

Said Shawn Green, who was 0 for 2 with three walks: “We can’t afford to have any more series like this.”

The Dodgers (78-68) have lost five straight but remain four games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West race. The Diamondbacks (82-64) lost Wednesday night to the Colorado Rockies and come to Chavez Ravine for a four-game series beginning tonight.

But the Dodgers have also fallen four games behind the streaking St. Louis Cardinals in the NL wild-card race.

The Dodgers, 7-15 in their last 22 games at Dodger Stadium, are dangerously close to merely playing out the string.

Lost in the morass of the Dodgers using five pitchers was a strong outing from starter James Baldwin.

Baldwin, making his ninth start for the Dodgers since being acquired in a July 26 trade with the Chicago White Sox, was facing the Padres for the first time in his career. He gave up one run on five hits in seven innings while striking out four and walking two.

The Padres scored first.

With one out in the third inning, D’Angelo Jimenez singled up the middle before Baldwin struck out Cesar Crespo. Ray Lankford then doubled off the top of the left-center field wall. Jimenez beat Alex Cora’s relay throw to the plate and the Padres had a 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers took the lead in the seventh inning.

Eric Karros led off and legged out an infield single on a ball hit in the hole between shortstop and third base. He was replaced by pinch-runner Tom Goodwin.

Adrian Beltre, whose career-high 17-game hitting streak came to an end, bounced a high chopper back to the mound as San Diego starter Brian Tollberg gloved the ball and threw to second to initiate what would be a double play.

But Tollberg’s throw was high and Padre shortstop Jimenez dropped the ball as second-base umpire Marty Foster called Goodwin out. Dodger third-base coach Glenn Hoffman ran out to protest and was immediately ejected. As Tracy argued, replays showed that an outstretched Jimenez indeed had control of the ball as he crossed the bag.

Cora then flied out to right for the second out before pinch-hitter Dave Hansen doubled into the right-center gap, putting runners at the corners.

San Diego Manager Bruce Bochy replaced Tollberg with right-handed reliever Jeremy Fikac to face Marquis Grissom, who singled to center field to score Beltre and Hansen and give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

Trammell tied the score for the Padres in the ninth, though, taking Shaw deep into the left-field pavilion for his 23rd home run.

In the 10th inning, Tony Gwynn pinch hit and lofted a single into right field. Gwynn, 41, was replaced by pinch-runner Rickey Henderson, 42. “It is nice to get one [a base hit in his final game at Dodger Stadium],” said Gwynn, who is retiring after this season. “I’ve gone through a run where I didn’t get a hit in Atlanta, didn’t get a hit in Florida, didn’t get a hit in St. Louis .... I was like 0 for 5 cities.”

The Dodgers’ run in the 10th inning off Hoffman came on a Beltre fielder’s choice that scored Gary Sheffield, who had doubled.