Dodgers Play Wrong Cards

There are games the Dodgers will reflect on in frustration if they finish short in their pursuit of the National League wild-card berth, and Wednesday’s 5-4 loss to Arizona at Bank One Ballpark might top the list.

The struggling Diamondbacks dealt a blow to the Dodgers’ postseason hopes in a come-from-behind victory before 28,985, rallying for five runs with two out in the eighth inning to overcome a four-run deficit.

Shea Hillenbrand hit a two-run home run off left-hander Tom Martin to provide Arizona’s first key hit. Pinch-hitter Steve Finley delivered the big blow against Paul Quantrill -- a three-run homer to right-center as closer Eric Gagne sat in the bullpen.

“I made a bad pitch,” said Quantrill, who has given up eight hits in 10 at-bats to Finley. “I cost us a game right there. A big game.”

Finley’s 402-foot homer reenergized the Diamondbacks after Kazuhisa Ishii continued his dominance over them in a six-inning, one-hit outing.

Arizona closer Matt Mantei struck out Fred McGriff and Adrian Beltre in a perfect ninth, getting Jeromy Burnitz on a grounder to end the game.

Mantei recorded his 22nd save while completing the victory for Oscar Villarreal (8-7), who pitched a scoreless eighth in relief of rookie starter Brandon Webb. And the Diamondbacks (74-72) maintained their faint playoff hopes after losing the first two games of the four-game series.

The Dodgers (77-67) suffered their first loss in six games on the trip, and it was costly. They dropped three games behind Florida in the National League wild-card race, losing another day on the calendar with 18 games remaining.

It was a gut-wrenching outcome for the Dodgers as they hear the clock ticking louder each day.

“We gave it away,” said Manager Jim Tracy, whose team is 64-3 when leading after seven innings. “And the shame of it was, two out, nobody on and a four-run lead. We just didn’t put the eighth inning down, that’s all there was to it.”

Tracy went with Quantrill because he was saving Gagne -- who is 50 for 50 in save opportunities -- for the ninth inning.

“The suggestion there is that he’s completely invincible and yet there’s a ninth inning that still has to be played and they’re one [hit] away from tying the game,” Tracy said. “You get into a tie situation and you have no one to save the game. The assumption is that he’s simply going to walk out there and strike the guy out.”

Ishii continued to dominate the Diamondbacks, allowing one hit and lowering his earned-run average against Arizona to 1.22 in six career starts.

In a rarity, the bullpen didn’t hold the lead Ishii left with.

In a sign of trouble to come, the Diamondbacks loaded the bases with two out in the seventh against Guillermo Mota.

But Mota escaped when he leaped to field Alex Cintron’s chopper and threw to first baseman McGriff, who leaped to catch the throw, for the final out. But Martin and Quantrill weren’t as fortunate in the eighth.

With Luis Gonzalez due up second, Tracy summoned the left-handed Martin, who struck out Junior Spivey and got Gonzalez to fly out.

Raul Mondesi walked and Hillenbrand hit his 14th homer to cut the lead to 4-2. Lyle Overbay, another left-handed batter, singled against Martin, who has limited left-handed hitters to a .198 batting average. Tracy stuck with Martin to face right-handed batter Danny Bautista because the Diamondbacks had several left-handed pinch-hitters on their bench.

Martin hit Bautista with an 0-and-2 pitch, and Tracy went to Quantrill to face Robby Hammock.

“I wasn’t really surprised,” Martin said of being left in the game to face Bautista. “I think Trace has confidence in all of us to face anybody. I don’t know if there’s a bad matchup down there.”

As expected, Arizona Manager Bob Brenly summoned the left-handed batting Finley. Finley connected on a 1-and-0 pitch for his 20th homer. It was his first pinch-hit homer in seven seasons.

“They would have switched right there [against Bautista], all the way through the bottom part of the order,” Tracy said of his decision to stick with Martin.

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NL Wild Card

THE STANDINGS

*--* W L GB DR Florida 81 65 -- E2 Philadelphia 80 66 1 E3 Dodgers 77 67 3 W2 Chicago 77 68 3 1/2 C2 St. Louis 76 70 5 C3 Arizona 74 72 7 W3

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DR-division rank

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THE SCHEDULES

* FLORIDA (16): HOME (9) -- vs. Atlanta, Sept. 12-14; vs. Philadelphia Sept. 23-25; vs. New York, Sept. 26-28. ROAD (7) -- at Philadelphia, Sept. 16-18; at Atlanta, Sept. 19-22.

* PHILADELPHIA (16): HOME (9) -- vs. Florida, Sept. 16-18; vs. Cincinnati, Sept. 19-21; vs. Atlanta, Sept. 26-28. ROAD (7) -- at Atlanta, Sept. 11; at Pittsburgh, Sept. 12-14; at Florida, Sept. 23-25.

* DODGERS (18): HOME (9) -- vs. San Diego, Sept. 12-14; vs. Arizona, Sept. 16-18; vs. San Francisco, Sept. 19-21. ROAD (9) -- at Arizona, Sept. 11; at San Diego, Sept. 22-25; at San Francisco, Sept. 26, 27 (2), 28.