Dodgers Losing Control of Race

The little things didn’t seem so little to the Dodgers on Friday night. An ill-advised dash to the plate, a grounder off the glove of a pitcher, a bobble in the outfield, a couple of walks ... add them up, and they amounted to a disappointing 5-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies before 26,441 in Coors Field.

Center fielder Marquis Grissom’s error allowed the tying run to score, and reliever Paul Shuey walked home the winning run, as the Dodgers blew a two-run lead in the seventh inning and lost for the sixth time in seven games. They also fell a game behind San Francisco in the National League wild-card race with 15 games to go.

“It’s frustrating,” said left fielder Brian Jordan, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning. “The rookie [Kevin Beirne] threw a great game, and to see it all fall apart in the seventh. ... We battled against a good pitcher [Jason Jennings], we got the lead ... you’ve got to hold on to win that game.”

Jordan wasn’t through venting. He was surprised that, with the score tied, 4-4, Shuey walked Todd Zeile to load the bases in the seventh and pinch-hitter Greg Norton, a .209 hitter, to force in the go-ahead run.

Jordan also couldn’t believe how many good pitches the Dodgers gave No. 8 batter Juan Uribe, who had a triple, a double, two singles and two runs batted in, continuing a disturbing trend on a trip in which opposing No. 8 hitters--Uribe and San Francisco’s David Bell--are batting .529 (nine for 17) with a homer and seven RBIs.

“You can’t walk a guy in that situation late in the game--you’ve got to make them beat you with the bat,” Jordan said of Shuey. “And we’re still getting frustrated by No. 8 guys getting all these hits and RBIs.”

The Dodgers hoped Beirne, making his second big league start, would go five or six innings, limit the Rockies to a few runs and hand a lead to the bullpen. Beirne did his part, giving up two runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 solid innings; the bullpen did not do its part, giving up three runs in the seventh to turn a 4-2 lead into a 5-4 deficit.

Right-hander Guillermo Mota gave up an infield single to Uribe that nicked his glove. Gabe Kapler grounded out, Uribe taking second, and after Uribe stole third, Juan Pierre walked. Brent Butler lined a single to center, scoring Uribe from third, and Grissom’s error in the outfield enabled the speedy Pierre to score from first to make it 4-4.

Left-hander Jesse Orosco replaced Mota and got Larry Walker to pop to third. The Dodgers let Butler steal second so they could intentionally walk Todd Helton, and Dodger Manager Jim Tracy summoned Shuey.

“Orosco did a fantastic job, and once he got Walker, I chose not to give Helton a chance to beat us,” Tracy said. “I had two chances with Shuey against Zeile and Norton. I thought those were better matchups.”

They might have been, had Shuey pitched aggressively. But the right-hander tried to nibble the corners and walked Zeile and Norton.

“I went in there, and I was trying to pitch defensively, that was the deal,” Shuey said. “When the score changed, then I went to an offensive mode. I have to take a hard look at that and maybe reevaluate it.”

Adding sting to the seventh was a questionable baserunning decision by Alex Cora in the top of the inning. Cora had doubled with two outs, and Adrian Beltre walked.

Grissom beat out a chopper to short, and Cora tried to score as Uribe’s throw from shortstop reached Helton at first. But Helton fired a strike to the plate, easily nailing Cora to end the inning with the heart of the Dodger order, Paul Lo Duca and Shawn Green, due to hit.

“If you could have it back, we would have liked one more shot to hit with the bases loaded,” Tracy said. “But I’m not going to second-guess or criticize aggression by one of my players.”