Dodger Sum Game Is Zero

What’s that old saying, be careful what you wish for? Dodger pitching coach Jim Colborn was probably mumbling that to himself a few times on the bench Wednesday night.

Colborn, concerned that Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo had walked 15 and hit a batter in his previous three losses, urged the Japanese right-hander to challenge hitters more, “even if that means sacrificing three solo home runs,” Colborn said.

The Cincinnati Reds were up for the challenge.

Nomo walked only two in eight innings Wednesday night, limiting the Reds to four hits and striking out a season-high 10, but he gave up two costly solo home runs in a 4-0 loss before 23,346 in Dodger Stadium, the fifth time this season the Dodgers have been shut out and the third time they’ve been blanked in games Nomo started.

Reds’ right-hander Joey Hamilton, who was slowed by shoulder injuries the last three seasons, continued his strong comeback with 71/3 shutout innings, giving up six hits and striking out seven to improve to 9-2 with a 2.31 earned-run average in 16 career appearances against the Dodgers.

Hamilton did not improve to 2-1 without a Reds’ scare in the eighth, though. The Dodgers loaded the bases on pinch-hitter Alex Cora’s single off Hamilton and two-out singles by Cesar Izturis and Paul Lo Duca against reliever Gabe White.

Up stepped cleanup batter Shawn Green, representing the tying run, and White fell behind, 3-and-1, on the count. But White got Green to tap weakly to first on a breaking pitch, ending the Dodger threat.

The Dodgers outhit Cincinnati, 8-5, the second straight night the Dodgers had more hits in a loss to the Reds, but the heart of the Dodger order--Lo Duca, Green and Brian Jordan--combined to go three for 23 in the two games.

“You need production from the middle of the order; it’s that simple,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said. “That’s the one thing holding this club up, in my opinion. We’re pitching well, playing solid defense, running the bases well, getting on base at the top of the order and getting production from the bottom of the order.

“But you need run-scoring hits in the middle of the order. We’re tied for first place, but we could have 19 or 20 wins with a good at-bat here or there.”

Nomo, who has a 2.56 ERA, could also be 5-1 instead of 2-4 with a little run support, but the Dodgers have scored only 10 runs in his six starts.

“Nomo has exceeded our expectations to this point,” Tracy said. “You can’t ask a guy to pitch much better than he did tonight. We just haven’t applied enough offensive pressure to see if the other guy is good enough to pitch out of jams.”

Nomo ran into immediate trouble Wednesday night when Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin opened the game by sending a 2-1 Nomo pitch into the left-field pavilion, his seventh career leadoff home run and first since 1994.

Juan Encarnacion led off the fourth by blasting a 1-0 pitch into the left-field seats for his seventh homer of the season and a 2-0 lead.

Encarnacion, who is finally blossoming into the all-around player the Detroit Tigers envisioned before trading the underachieving outfielder to the Reds for Dmitri Young in December, also came up with the defensive play of the game in the third.

The Dodgers loaded the bases with one out--their only real scoring chance against Hamilton--on Mark Grudzielanek’s single, Dave Roberts’ single and Larkin’s error on Izturis’ grounder up the middle.

Lo Duca, who grounded into a key bases-loaded double play in the fifth inning of Tuesday night’s 3-1 loss to the Reds, lofted a fly ball to medium right, and Grudzielanek tagged up.

But Encarnacion made a strong one-hop throw to the plate, and catcher Jason LaRue slapped the tag on Grudzielanek for an inning-ending double play.

Nomo, who failed to lay down a sacrifice bunt in the third, also contributed to Cincinnati’s two-run sixth. Hamilton led off with a single to center, and Larkin doubled to left, advancing Hamilton to third.

Encarnacion grounded to third, Hamilton and Larkin holding, and Sean Casey bounced an RBI grounder to second to make it 3-0. Adam Dunn walked, putting runners on first and third. Nomo faked a pickoff move to third and caught Dunn in a rundown between first and second.

When Nomo ran toward Dunn, Larkin broke for home, but Nomo spun and threw wildly past Lo Duca, allowing Larkin to score for a 4-0 lead.