Dodgers Lose More Than Merely a Game

The Dodgers lost their ace in the first inning Sunday afternoon, when right-hander Kevin Brown was forced out of the game because of pain in his surgically repaired elbow, and Manager Jim Tracy went through his entire deck trying to piece together a winning hand.

Nine wild innings, a combined nine relief pitchers, four double switches, three improbable comebacks, two lead changes and about four hours later, Arizona defeated the Dodgers, as David Dellucci’s RBI double in the 10th inning off knuckleballer Dennis Springer lifted the Diamondbacks to a 10-9 victory before 47,388 in Bank One Ballpark.

The frustrating loss, in which the Dodgers bombed the usually impenetrable Randy Johnson for seven runs and eight hits in five innings, left the Dodgers with a 3-3 record on the trip. But they won’t know until Brown is examined today by team doctor Frank Jobe whether their losses will multiply.

Brown, who underwent surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon last Sept. 27, experienced a grabbing sensation in his elbow, just below his triceps, in the first, when Arizona took a 4-0 lead.

Trainer Stan Johnston didn’t believe the injury was as serious as the setback Brown suffered April 13, when he was pulled from a game at San Diego because of torn scar tissue in the elbow and went on the disabled list. But the extent of the damage won’t be known until Brown is examined.

“There’s no reason to think it’s more serious, just because of the location and the fact there was no swelling,” Johnston said. Such a problem, the trainer added, could occur “when the capsule covering the [elbow] joint gets pinched or inflamed.... It’s probably not related to his surgery or scar tissue.”

Brown was unavailable for comment. Johnston said Brown felt some discomfort while warming up in the bullpen, but Brown, whose ambitious rehabilitation schedule has led some to speculate that he--and not the Dodgers--has called the shots during his comeback, insisted he was sound enough to pitch.

After two singles, a walk and Steve Finley’s two-run single, catcher Paul Lo Duca noticed that Brown “didn’t look right.” Lo Duca went to the mound, but Brown remained in the game.

On the next pitch, a ball to Damian Miller, Lo Duca noticed Brown “cringe.” The catcher went the mound for another discussion that seemed more like an arm-wrestling match, pitting the tough-as-nails, obstinate veteran pitcher against the head-strong, second-year catcher. And the surprise winner was ... Lo Duca.

“He told me to give him the ball and I said no,” Lo Duca said.

“He asked again, and I said no. We already lost one guy, [Darren] Dreifort, for the season [because of an elbow injury last June]. I didn’t want to lose Brown for the long haul. I didn’t want him to blow it out. After we talked, he was OK with it.”

Manager Jim Tracy refused to speculate on the severity of Brown’s injury, but he did not hesitate pulling his starter.

“When I heard the word ‘grabbing,’ that was it,” Tracy said. “It wasn’t a situation where I was going to let him throw a few warmup pitches and see how he feels.”

Omar Daal replaced Brown and gave up a two-run single to Miller, but the Dodgers, on the strength of Marquis Grissom’s two home runs, Adrian Beltre’s homer and Brian Jordan’s two-run single, took a 7-4 lead in the fifth.

But Dodger reliever Paul Quantrill, who hadn’t given up a run in his last 12 innings, was rocked for four runs and four hits in the seventh, as Arizona took an 8-7 lead, eventually extending the lead to 9-7.

But the Dodgers rallied for two runs in the ninth off Arizona closer Byung-Hyun Kim to tie it, 9-9.

Springer, recalled from triple-A Las Vegas on Friday night, retired the side in order in the ninth, but he issued two walks before Dellucci’s game-winning hit in the 10th.

“It was a tough game to lose,” Green said, “but it would have been a huge game to win.”