Dodger Bats Decide to Take the Day Off

The Dodgers’ nine-game road trip through San Francisco, San Diego and Colorado hits Coors Field tonight, and not a moment too soon.

The Dodger offense fizzled again in a 1-0 loss to the Padres before 46,410 in Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday night, failing to score after loading the bases with no out in the fifth inning. In their six losses, the Dodgers have scored a grand total of seven runs.

But if ever there’s a place to add a little fuel-injection to your offense, it’s Denver’s Coors Field, where the Dodgers averaged 7.7 runs in nine games against the Rockies last season, including a 22-7 victory on July 21.

“You’ve still got to hit the ball, though,” said second baseman Jeff Reboulet, who epitomized the Dodgers’ frustration by stranding six baserunners in his first start of the season Sunday night.

“The balls I hit tonight weren’t going anywhere. They were four feet in front of the plate. Unless the ground is a lot harder in Coors Field, those aren’t going to be hits up the middle anyway.”

The Dodgers got another superb effort from their starting pitcher, as Hideo Nomo gave up one run and four hits in 62/3 innings, but that’s nothing new. In the last nine games, in which the Dodgers are 6-3, their starters have given up only four earned runs in 521/3 innings for an earned-run average of 0.69.

“We should be 8-1 or 9-0 in those games, but we haven’t produced,” catcher Paul Lo Duca said. “Hideo didn’t lose this game; we did. Our pitching the last nine games has been phenomenal.

“What’s really frustrating is our pitching has carried us, and we haven’t clicked as an offense. We haven’t gotten hits when we need them. Coors Field may be a hitter’s haven, but we need to do a better job of executing with guys on base. Everyone.”

San Diego right-hander Brian Lawrence, who extended his scoreless streak to 16 innings with seven four-hit shutout innings, had a no-hitter through four before giving up singles to Shawn Green and Brian Jordan to start the fifth.

Jordan beat Lawrence’s throw to second on Eric Karros’ dribbler back to the mound, loading the bases with no out. Adrian Beltre hit a grounder to third baseman Sean Burroughs, who threw to home to force Green. Reboulet tapped to Lawrence, who threw home to force Jordan. Nomo grounded to short, ending the inning.

The Dodgers also put two on with two out in the seventh and eighth innings, but Padre shortstop Deivi Cruz ranged far to his left for a nice play on Reboulet’s grounder to end the seventh, and Green popped to shallow left to end the eighth.

“Guys’ batting averages are going up, but it’s not helping us score runs,” Jordan said. “We’re not getting the hits when we need them. We blew a lot of opportunities. No way can you expect to win when you don’t score after loading the bases with no outs.”

Reboulet, a reserve infielder who had only four at-bats prior to Sunday night’s game, took the loss hard.

“We had about 400 guys on base,” Reboulet said. “It was my [season] debut, and I was pretty much the culprit as far as leaving guys on. You’ve really got to get them in when you have the chance.”

Reboulet was far from the only culprit. The top three batters in the order, Dave Roberts, Cesar Izturis and Lo Duca (pinch-hit for by Dave Hansen in the eighth), combined to go 0 for 10. Roberts should be of particular concern; the leadoff batter is now hitting .206 with a .270 on-base percentage.

The Dodgers, who went 0 for six with runners in scoring position, hit only eight balls to the outfield. They managed five hits, the fourth time this season they’ve been limited to five or fewer. Not surprisingly, of their 12 games this season, six have ended in shutouts, with the Dodgers going 3-3 in those games. They’re 6-6 overall.

The Padres scored in the seventh, an inning that began with Cruz’s bloop single and Lawrence’s sacrifice. Pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney lined to left, and Dodger Manager Jim Tracy stuck with Nomo instead of going to left-handed reliever Jesse Orosco against switch-hitter D’Angelo Jimenez.

On Nomo’s 114th and final pitch, an 0-and-2 fastball on a night his forkball was working so well, Jimenez lined an RBI single to center.

“I chose to throw a fastball in that situation,” Nomo said through an interpreter, “and unfortunately he hit it.”

Which is a lot more than the Dodgers did Sunday night.