Penny, Dodgers Hurting

Out of options and seeking inspiration in a tight National League West race, the Dodgers turned to pitcher Brad Penny and crossed their fingers Wednesday night against the San Diego Padres.

So now what?

Not only did Penny fail to have the triumphant return the struggling Dodgers had hoped for in a 4-0 loss at Petco Park -- cutting the Dodgers’ lead to half a game in the NL West -- the right-hander also aggravated a nerve injury that had sidelined him for more than six weeks and is expected to be out the remainder of the season.

“It was always in the back of your mind that it could happen,” right fielder Milton Bradley said. “It’s a tough break, but we’ve had a lot of tough breaks this year.”

A crowd of 41,303 watched as Penny left the mound in pain in the fourth inning, trailing 3-0, in his first start since Aug. 8. Penny, trying to overcome an irritated nerve in his right biceps, left the game on his 75th pitch after throwing a ball to Jay Payton with a runner on first and none out.

“He said it was tightening up,” catcher David Ross said of Penny, who left the clubhouse before reporters were permitted to enter. “I’m not a doctor but ... I hope nothing serious is wrong.”

Penny is scheduled to return to Los Angeles today to meet with team physician Ralph Gambardella and undergo tests, including an MRI exam.

The Dodgers are not optimistic about Penny returning even if they qualify for the playoffs, and that is no sure thing at this point.

“I don’t anticipate seeing Brad Penny take anther shot at this,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “I really can’t foresee that happening.”

The Dodgers had spoken optimistically about Penny in the days leading to only his third start for them since General Manager Paul DePodesta acquired the right-hander from the Florida Marlins in a controversial six-player deal July 30.

Some in the organization had even suggested Penny could still be the front-of-the-rotation starter DePodesta envisioned this season. Now, it appears Tracy and pitching coach Jim Colborn must try to hold together a tattered rotation without hope of Penny riding to the rescue.

“We were hoping,” closer Eric Gagne said. “You never know with an arm injury, but we were hoping because it would have been a big boost. I don’t know how severe it is or exactly what’s wrong. It’s tough.”

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants are atop the Dodgers’ long list of problems.

The second-place Giants (86-66) are 9-1 in their last 10 games and the Dodgers are heading in the wrong direction with their first division title in nine years at stake.

The Dodgers dropped to 9-11 in September, have their smallest lead in the division since July 15 and are 2-3 on their final trip with San Diego going for a series sweep tonight and a weekend showdown looming against San Francisco at SBC Park.

Starter Jake Peavy (13-6) dominated the Dodgers in eight scoreless innings, giving up only three hits and setting a career high with 11 strikeouts. The right-hander moved into the lead for the NL earned-run average title at 2.27.

San Diego (82-70) maintained its faint hopes in the division and wild-card races, cutting the Dodgers’ lead over them to 4 1/2 games and remaining four games behind San Francisco for the wild-card berth.

The Dodgers had often expressed confidence about where they believed they ranked among the major leagues’ elite while building a lead that reached 7 1/2 games Aug. 11, but those days seem so long ago.

“We’re still in first place,” said Tracy, whose team is 4-7 since it held a six-game lead over the Giants on Sept. 11.

“It boils down to the fact that we’ve played 151 games, and our opportunity to participate in the postseason, or not, is right in front of us with the 11 games that we have to play.”