Beltre Blooper Is a Big Relief

The Dodgers’ series finale against the Cincinnati Reds turned into a late-night battle of the bullpens Thursday, with relievers from both teams combining for 12 shutout innings before the Reds finally blinked in the bottom of the 14th.

Moments after what was left of a Dodger Stadium crowd of 27,224 sang a 14th-inning stretch, Adrian Beltre flared an RBI single into right field to lift the Dodgers to a 3-2 victory over the Reds, ending a 3-hour 55-minute affair and the Dodgers’ two-game losing streak.

Shawn Green beat out an opposite-field chopper behind the third-base bag for a single to open the 14th and took second on Eric Karros’ groundout to third, which came on a full-count pitch with Green running.

Red reliever Scott Sullivan intentionally walked Marquis Grissom, and Beltre dumped his game-winning hit to right, as Ruben Mateo’s attempt for a diving catch came up short.

The best previous scoring threat in extra innings came in the 11th, when Paul Lo Duca, who knocked in the Dodgers’ first two runs with a single and a home run, singled to right with one out and Green, hitless in his previous 11 at-bats, lined an opposite-field single to left, putting runners on first and second.

Karros worked a full-count against Red closer Danny Graves, and Manager Jim Tracy chose to send the runners on the next pitch, hoping to stay out of a double play. But Karros lined out to center fielder Juan Encarnacion, who had plenty of time to double Lo Duca off second to end the inning.

Dodger reliever Giovanni Carrara (1-0) retired the side in order in the top of the 14th, capping six hitless innings by the Dodger bullpen, to gain the victory, and left-hander Omar Daal threw three perfect innings, striking out four.

Paul Quantrill retired the side in order in the 10th, and closer Eric Gagne threw a scoreless ninth, but it wasn’t easy for the Dodger closer.

With the score tied, 2-2, Gagne walked Sean Casey to open the inning, the third free pass the right-hander has issued in 14 innings this season. Pinch-runner Reggie Taylor stole second and took third on Adam Dunn’s fly ball to deep right.

Aaron Boone squared for a suicide squeeze, missing the bunt but getting hit on the right shoulder with the pitch. Home-plate umpire Brian Gorman awarded Boone first base and sent Taylor back to third.

Tracy argued the pitch should have been called a strike, but Gorman, after conferring with first-base umpire Phil Cuzzi, stuck with a hit by pitch, putting runners on first and third.

Wilton Guerrero popped to third baseman Beltre, who made the catch in foul territory, and Mateo grounded to first, where Karros made a nice play to stab the ball down the line and tossed to Gagne covering the bag to end the inning.

Left-hander Odalis Perez gave the Dodgers another strong start, giving up two runs and five hits in eight innings, striking out five and walking none, but for the sixth time this season, a Dodger starter gave up two earned runs or fewer in five innings or more and didn’t get the win.

Of Perez’s 93 pitches, 70 were strikes. But one pitch, a seventh-inning fastball that didn’t seem like much of a mistake, cost him a chance for the win, when Dunn drove it over the wall in left-center to tie the score at 2-2.

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the first when Dave Roberts singled, stole second, took third on Cesar Izturis’ grounder to the right side and scored on Lo Duca’s RBI single to center.

The Reds equalized in the third when Jason LaRue singled, took second on Elmer Dessens sacrifice bunt, stole third and scored on Barry Larkin’s sacrifice fly.

Lo Duca’s leadoff home run to left in the fourth gave the Dodgers a 2-1 advantage, and a strong throw from Grissom, subbing for the injured Brian Jordan in left, preserved the lead in the top of the fifth.

Mateo doubled to left with one out, and LaRue lined a single to left. Mateo had to freeze, making sure the ball wasn’t caught, before he broke for third. Third-base coach Tim Foli waved Mateo home, but Grissom air-mailed a throw to Lo Duca, nailing Mateo by a good eight feet.