Ishii, Dodgers Back in Striking Range

It was 81 degrees inside air-conditioned Bank One Ballpark on Tuesday night, but the way the Dodgers continued to turn up the heat on the defending World Series-champion Arizona Diamondbacks, it felt more like the scorching 107-degree temperatures outside the dome.

Left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii saved his starting job with 5 1/3 shutout innings, and relievers Kevin Brown and Jesse Orosco each struck out batters with the bases loaded in the sixth to lead the Dodgers to a 3-2 victory over the Diamondbacks before a crowd of 35,891.

The Dodgers won for the 19th time in 25 games, improved to 27-11 in one-run games and have shaved five games off Arizona’s National League West lead in eight days, going from nine games back on Aug. 26 to four back before today’s series finale, in which the Dodgers will face left-hander Randy Johnson.

“It’s disturbing,” Arizona pitcher Brian Anderson said after the Diamondbacks lost for the seventh time in 10 games. “We can say, ‘Well, we’re still four games up,’ but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that not that long ago, we were nine up. And it’s been cut by more than a half in a week. No question, we need to come out [today] and right the ship a bit, because right now, it’s ugly.”

It’s the first time since 1991, when they finished 93-69, that the Dodgers (81-57) have been 24 games over .500.

Few would admit it, but many Dodgers had all but conceded the division title to the Diamondbacks in late August and set their sights on the NL wild card.

But after Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer in the first inning Tuesday night, Paul Lo Duca hit an RBI double in the seventh and five relievers carried the Dodgers to the finish line, talk turned to a possible NL West championship.

“I felt like we were in the thick of it last week,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “But it’s a little thicker now.”

Asked if the Diamondbacks were beginning to feel some pressure, Dodger closer Eric Gagne, who gave up one run in 1 1/3 innings but still recorded his 47th save Tuesday night, said, “I hope so. They should.”

Ishii, whose rotation spot was in jeopardy because of his 3-8 record and 5.58 earned-run average since June 14, was also feeling some pressure--Tracy wouldn’t say before Tuesday’s game if he would even make his next start.

But after improving to 3-0 with an 0.95 ERA in three starts against Arizona this season, Tracy said Ishii, who gave up four hits and walked only two, will start Sunday against Houston.

“That was arguably as good a performance as he’s had all year,” Tracy said. “The key for him was fastball command. When he throws strikes, his pitches are difficult for the opposition to deal with.”

Ishii, who began the game with a major league-leading 100 walks, issued no walks and no three-ball counts in the first five innings. But he rushed his throw on Tony Womack’s leadoff bunt in the sixth, stumbling backward and missing first base.

The play, scored a single, seemed to rattle Ishii, who got Steve Finley to fly to left but walked Junior Spivey and Luis Gonzalez to load the bases. Tracy pulled Ishii in favor of Brown, the Dodgers’ $15-million situational reliever, and Brown responded with a huge strikeout of Greg Colbrunn.

Tracy then summoned Orosco to face Erubiel Durazo, who pulled a 450-foot foul ball down the right-field line. Two pitches later, the free-swinging Durazo missed badly on Orosco’s sweeping slider for an inning-ending strikeout.

The Dodgers added an insurance run in the seventh when pinch-hitter Mike Kinkade singled, Marquis Grissom reached on a fielder’s choice and Lo Duca slapped an RBI double to right.

That offset Diamondback third baseman Chris Donnels’ RBI double in the bottom of the seventh off reliever Paul Shuey.

Paul Quantrill and Gagne combined for a scoreless eighth. Mark Grace led off the ninth with a double off Gagne and scored on Donnels’ sacrifice fly, but Gagne got Womack on a comebacker to end the game.

“You’re focused on getting to the playoffs any way you can,” Lo Duca said, “but it would be nice to put some pressure on these guys and see what happens.”