Gaffe Is Tagline to Dodger Loss

Dodger futility reached new depths in the sixth inning Friday night when Alex Cora hit a one-out single to the outfield with runners on second and third, and no one scored.

Impossible, you say? Not for these Dodgers, who seem to redefine offensive ineptitude on a nightly basis. They found yet another way to lose Friday, committing a costly baserunning error in a 3-1, 10-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks that extended the Dodger losing streak to seven, their longest since 1993.

A good number of fans among the sellout crowd of 55,038, the third-largest regular-season crowd in Dodger Stadium history, booed the Dodgers off the field after Quinton McCracken, who would have exited in the eighth if not for a botched double switch by Arizona Manager Bob Brenly, grounded a two-run single to right field off reliever Guillermo Mota to snap a 1-1 tie in the top of the 10th.

In addition to a rally-killing baserunning blunder in the sixth, the Dodgers failed to score despite putting two on with no outs in the eighth and loading the bases with one out later in the inning.

“We had way too many opportunities to put the game away, to cash in, and we couldn’t do it,” Manager Jim Tracy said, repeating a familiar postgame refrain. “We did everything necessary but get the hit to win the game.”

They thought they had the hit to take the lead in the sixth when Cora dropped a shallow fly ball in front of center fielder Steve Finley with Cesar Izturis on third and Larry Barnes on second.

But instead of going halfway down the third base line, Izturis tagged up. He sprinted toward home when the ball dropped, but Finley had enough time to fire a one-hop throw to catcher Rod Barajas, who made a nice scoop and tag for the out.

Barnes took third and Cora took second on the play. Shawn Green walked to load the bases, but Batista struck out Paul Lo Duca to end the rally.

“We made the baserunning mistake that cost us a run, but the same player made a play in the third that may have saved us four runs,” Tracy said, alluding to Izturis’ spectacular double play. “... So that’s not where the finger gets pointed.”

Arizona leadoff batter Matt Kata drove reliever Paul Shuey’s first pitch of the seventh over the wall in right for a 1-0 lead, but the Dodgers counterpunched in the bottom of the seventh.

Mike Kinkade opened with a bunt single, and Chad Hermansen singled to right, moving Kinkade to third. Jolbert Cabrera grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Kinkade to make it 1-1.

The Dodgers threatened in the eighth when Wilkin Ruan led off with a single and Cora reached on an error. Brenly pulled Batista in favor of sidewinding left-hander Eddie Oropesa, who struck out Green for the first out.

Brenly then summoned right-hander Jose Valverde, and David Dellucci headed to right field to replace McCracken as part of a double switch. But Brenly forgot to inform home plate umpire Mark Wegner, who disallowed the move.

McCracken remained in right and Valverde walked Lo Duca to load the bases, but Kinkade lined out to third and Hermansen struck out to end the inning.

Brenly’s gaffe proved fortuitous in the 10th, when Alex Cintron and Luis Gonzalez opened with singles off reliever Tom Martin, and Shea Hillenbrand singled off Mota to load the bases.

Robby Hammock grounded to third baseman Cabrera, who forced Cintron at the plate, but McCracken followed with his game-winning hit.

Wasted by the Dodgers was a gutsy start by Kazuhisa Ishii, who pitched out of three bases-loaded jams during a six-inning high-wire act in which he gave up five hits and walked six but didn’t allow a run.

Ishii struck out Hammock with the bases loaded to end the first, and with one out and the bases loaded in the third, Hillenbrand smoked a one-hopper toward the middle. But Izturis made a lunging grab and flipped a backhand shovel pass to Cora at second to start the inning-ending double play.

Ishii escaped a second-and-third, no-out jam in the sixth, getting Hammock to bounce to the mound, striking out McCracken and, after an intentional walk to load the bases, striking out Batista.

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Sinking in the West

With 10 losses in their last 11 games, the Dodgers’ standing in the NL West has fallen off accordingly:

Standings on June 21

*--* W L GB Dodgers 44 29 -- San Francisco 44 29 -- Arizona 37 36 7 Colorado 38 38 7 1/2 San Diego 24 52 21 1/2

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Through Friday’s Games

*--* W L GB San Francisco 52 33 -- Arizona 47 38 5 Dodgers 45 39 6 1/2 Colorado 45 43 8 1/2 San Diego 31 56 22

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