Dodgers Can’t Get Out of Starting Block in Loss

Dodger pitcher Wilson Alvarez left in the second inning Friday night against the New York Mets after taking a hard one-hopper off his pitching elbow.

It was among many hard hits the struggling left-hander absorbed in the Mets’ 9-2 victory in front of 42,694 at Shea Stadium.

Alvarez, who suffered a bruised elbow, was pounded for the second time in as many starts, giving up seven hits and six earned runs in the first inning to the injury-ravaged Mets. Manager Jim Tracy said Hideo Nomo would be activated from the disabled list to take Alvarez’s spot in the rotation, though the Dodgers have not determined when Nomo would start.

On Friday, the Mets sent 11 batters to the plate in the first and collected seven of their 14 hits while taking a 6-0 lead. The Mets overcame having three everyday players on the disabled list, including All-Star catcher Mike Piazza.

They ended a losing streak at five games, winning the opener of a three-game series against the suddenly shaky National League West leaders.

The Dodgers (74-54) dropped to 5-7 in their last 12 games and are 2-3 on a four-city, 13-game, 14-day trip, but they maintained a four-game lead over second-place San Francisco in the division. However, the rotation is in a major slump and Alvarez’s injury is only part of his problem.

“I feel fine, I really don’t know what’s wrong,” said Alvarez, who has a 43.82 earned-run average in his last two starts. “If I want to keep pitching here, I better go out there and get it done.”

With one out in the second, Met cleanup batter Cliff Floyd connected on a 2-and-2 pitch from Alvarez, nailing him on a single up the middle. Alvarez shook off his glove while grimacing in pain, and Tracy and trainer Matt Wilson rushed to the mound.

The injury prompted Tracy to make a pitching change, but Alvarez could have been pulled much earlier because of ineffectiveness. That has been the recent story of the Dodger rotation, which has an 11.01 ERA in the last six games.

Kazuhisa Ishii and Jeff Weaver delivered quality starts during that span, but the group has given up 45 hits and 31 earned runs in 25 1/3 innings.

“I think it’s just an off stretch,” said General Manager Paul DePodesta, who joined the team in New York. “They had put together a terrific string through the course of July, and through the first half of August or so.

“Hopefully, it doesn’t continue, but we’ve been banged up a little bit there. Hopefully, we’ll get Hideo back here shortly, and hopefully we’ll get [Brad] Penny back at some point. I think it will make a big difference.”

The Mets (60-67) were 21st among 30 major league teams in runs beginning play Friday, but they produced in the first against Alvarez (7-5).

Leadoff batter Gerald Williams had two hits in the inning; rookie third baseman David Wright, who continued his impressive start with three hits and three runs batted in, had a two-run single and starter Tom Glavine contributed a run-scoring single. After Williams drove in the Mets’ sixth run with his second single, Alvarez retired Jeff Keppinger for the second time to finally end the inning.

Glavine (9-10) lost his bid for a shutout when Jayson Werth connected for his first career pinch-hit home run and 11th homer overall to start the fifth. But the two-time Cy Young Award winner pitched six-plus innings to earn his 260th career victory.

Alvarez gave up eight hits in his second consecutive 1 1/3 -inning outing. He also failed to get out of the second inning Sunday, giving up seven runs in a 10-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.

Alvarez, who had been among the team’s most dependable starters, said he couldn’t locate the strike zone with his fastball against the Braves. What was the main problem against the Mets?

“I made good pitches, but they just hit me,” he said.