Completely Balky Effort for Dodgers

Another emotionally charged National League West showdown between the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants continued to unfold Tuesday night in San Francisco, though one participant hasn’t responded well to the pressure.

The Dodgers clearly have not had as much fun as their hosts, who were feeling great after Jason Schmidt dominated the Dodgers again, 2-1, before 42,648 at Pacific Bell Park.

Schmidt treated the largest regular-season crowd in the ballpark’s brief history to another show-stopping performance, overwhelming the rival Dodgers with his second consecutive complete game against them.

The Giants (46-30) opened a two-game lead on the second-place Dodgers (44-32) in the division, and go for the sweep tonight. They are 8-3 against the Dodgers, including 5-0 at Pacific Bell Park.

Schmidt (7-3) gave up four hits and one unearned run in a 127-pitch, 92-strike outing, providing a smashing encore to a three-hit, 11-strikeout masterpiece in a 2-0 victory last Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

“Very normal for him,” Giant Manager Felipe Alou said of Schmidt, 3-0 with a 1.44 earned-run average in four starts against the Dodgers this season.

“He usually starts at 92-93 [mph] and finishes at 97, but he started throwing hard in the first. I knew he was healthy for the night.”

But as good as the San Francisco ace has been, Schmidt might not have pulled it off Tuesday without the Dodgers’ cooperation.

Starter Odalis Perez let his emotions get the best of him again, getting ejected for the second time in three starts.

Perez (4-6) was set off by a controversial balk call by first-base umpire Angel Hernandez in the sixth inning, and Marquis Grissom capitalized on the left-hander’s lapse in focus, connecting on a two-run home run -- his 11th -- to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.

Perez appeared to have Ray Durham picked off first but was called for the balk. Perez then retired Edgardo Alfonzo before allowing the homer.

“Both pitchers threw great games, and you have to tip your hat to Jason, but that balk call was pivotal,” Dodger center fielder Dave Roberts said. “It was a pickoff, and Odalis didn’t try to do anything fancy. That play cost us the game.”

Manager Jim Tracy also was ejected during the sixth for arguing the call with Hernandez.

“I’m told I can’t come out, which I understand,” Tracy said. “But I’m under the impression that I certainly can come out and inquire as to why the balk was called. I see an umpire pointing at a knee, and I think the rulebook states, if I’m not mistaken, that the foot has to cross the plane.

“As I’m watching that play unfold, I’m also fairly certain of the fact that the foot didn’t cross the plane.”

The Dodgers, losing their third game in a row, scored only one run in the sixth inning despite twice loading the bases, and Daryle Ward’s baserunning blunder in the ninth stirred more frustration for a team encountering a lot in Northern California.

With Jolbert Cabrera on first and one out, Ward singled through the hole on the right side, sending Cabrera to third. But Ward went too wide on his turn and was thrown out, quickly dampening the Dodgers’ mood.

Schmidt didn’t give the Dodgers another chance, getting a game-ending grounder from Adrian Beltre.

And there was more bad news for the Dodgers, as left fielder and cleanup batter Brian Jordan was removed in the sixth inning because of soreness in his surgically repaired left knee.

Tracy said Jordan has a strained patella tendon. He will be re-evaluated today.

Perez’s temper could be another long-term issue for the Dodgers.

“Maybe they’re afraid to call something against the home team, I don’t know,” said Perez, also ejected June 13 against the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field.

“We should win the game, 1-0. They know they are wrong. If they are right, believe me, I’ll be the first guy [to say so]. But they are not right, they’re wrong.

“If they’re going to be jumping on me, perfect. The guy from first called the wrong call, so we lost, 2-1.”

Perez said he does not fear retribution from umpires.

“If they’re going to do it, they can do whatever they want,” he said. “I have to go out there and do my job. I was very angry. The game in Cleveland, and tonight’s game, they’re both my games.

“Do you think I’m going to allow somebody to take away my game from me? No. I’m not going to do it.”