Diamondbacks Sleep Tighter

As Laker star Kobe Bryant watched from a luxury suite above the first-base dugout, the Dodgers experienced a three-peat of their own Friday night. Unlike the recent achievement of the purple-and-gold-clad, basketball-playing residents of Los Angeles, this one will not be followed by a parade.

Curt Schilling won his major league-leading 15th game to lead Arizona to a 3-2 victory over the Dodgers before 43,147 in Dodger Stadium, marking the first time the Dodgers have lost three consecutive games since their season-opening three-game sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants. The Diamondbacks trimmed the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West to a half-game.

“We haven’t lost three games in a row since the opening series,” Dodger center fielder Dave Roberts said. “This is a little bit of a gut-check time for us. I’ve had confidence in this team from Day 1. This is the time we have to prove ourselves.”

It is no time to panic, Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said.

“No, no, no,” Tracy said, in response to a question about whether a three-game losing streak would affect the Dodgers emotionally. “We lost three in a row to open the season and bounced back. When we get up [this morning] we’ll still be in first place. We won’t even concern ourselves with that.”

The Dodgers have had to concern themselves with two of baseball’s best pitchers--Schilling and left-hander Randy Johnson--the last two nights, and the result has been two low-scoring, one-run losses.

Schilling’s streak of complete-game victories ended at two, but the veteran right-hander gave the Diamondbacks seven-plus strong innings, limiting the Dodgers to two runs--one earned--and five hits, striking out five and walking two.

Schilling (15-3) improved his career record against the Dodgers to 13-5 with a 2.81 earned-run average and extended his personal win streak over the Dodgers to nine games. He has not lost to the Dodgers since July 26, 1997, when he was with Philadelphia.

Second baseman Junior Spivey and first baseman Greg Colbrunn homered off Dodger starter Odalis Perez (10-5) in the fifth inning, as the Diamondbacks erased a 1-0 deficit with a three-run rally. Schilling and three relievers made it stand up.

“He’s a tough customer,” Tracy said of Schilling. “When you have to face him [or Johnson], your starter has to be right up to par with them. He has to get up in the morning knowing you have to pitch a heck of a game because your chances of throwing a touchdown up there against one of them is unlikely.”

All the Dodgers managed Friday night was two extra points, as Shawn Green doubled and scored on Spivey’s error in the fourth and Roberts tripled and scored on Paul Lo Duca’s single in the eighth.

Arizona Manager Bob Brenly pulled Schilling after Lo Duca’s hit in favor of left-hander Mike Myers, who got Green to pop to short. Former Dodger right-hander Mike Fetters, acquired last Saturday from Pittsburgh, came on to retire Eric Karros on an inning-ending, 6-3 double play, and closer Byung-Hyun Kim retired the Dodgers in order in the ninth inning for his 24th save.

Perez grooved a 2-0 fastball to Spivey with two outs in the fifth inning, and Spivey lined it over the right-field wall for his 10th homer and a 1-1 tie.

Craig Counsell followed with a blooper over the head of shortstop Cesar Izturis, who got a piece of the ball with his leaping effort but couldn’t make the catch. Colbrunn then tore into a 2-2 changeup, sending a towering drive just inside the foul pole in left field for a two-run homer--his fourth of the season--and a 3-1 lead.

It was only the second time this season that Perez gave up two home runs in one game. Perez was pulled after six innings and replaced by right-hander Guillermo Mota, who threw two perfect innings of relief, and Eric Gagne, who retired the side in order in the ninth.

Dodger left fielder Brian Jordan bailed Perez out of a first-and-third, two-out jam in the first inning, racing toward the line to make a diving catch of Matt Williams’ drive, potentially saving two runs.

“We faced two Cy Young-caliber pitchers, we battled them to the end and came up a run short each night,” Tracy said. “They had one offensive inning where they hit two home runs, and we tried to put something together in the eighth and came up short.... It was really a classic major league game.”

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*--* The West Team W L GB Dodgers 54 36 -- Arizona 53 36 1/2 San Francisco 51 38 2 1/2

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*--* Curt Response A look at Curt Schilling against the Dodgers the last three seasons: W-L INN SO ERA 2000 0-0 7 6 5.14 2001 4-0 41 51 1.32 2002 2-0 14 12 1.29

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*--* Northern Exposure Schilling is one of eight major leaguers born in Alaska: Name Years Birthplace Shawn Chacon 2001-2002 Anchorage Randy Kutcher 1986-1990 Anchorage Scott Loucks 1980-1985 Anchorage Josh Phelps 2000-2002 Anchorage Curt Schilling 1988-2002 Anchorage Steve Staggs 1977-1978 Anchorage Tom Sullivan 1925 Nome Dave Williams 2001-2002 Anchorage

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