Dodgers Burned on Investment

In terms of pure theater and entertainment value, it was money well spent for one night. The Dodgers recouped a small portion of the $10 million they are paying Shawn Green this season.

Fans booed him when he batted, showered him with mildly offensive chants in right field and watched him lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-2 victory over his former team Tuesday night in front of 44,486 at Dodger Stadium.

Green homered for the first run, belted his 350th career double -- 183 of which came in five seasons with the Dodgers -- and dived to catch a line drive that preserved the Diamondback lead with two out in the sixth.

“I’d lie if I said it didn’t feel better to hit home runs and make plays against these guys,” Green said.

Green has three homers this season, all against the Dodgers.

The Diamondbacks (13-8) pulled to within one-half game of the Dodgers (13-7), who fell behind early by multiple runs for the fifth time in six games. Not coincidentally, they lost all five.

This time the deficit was the result of starter Scott Erickson’s giving up two home runs in the second inning. The larger problem, though, wasn’t the 37-year-old pitcher who seems to have lost his best stuff.

Erickson (1-2) has 142 victories and a World Series ring, but it has been six years since he posted an earned-run average under 5.55. He lasted five innings, leaving with the Dodgers trailing, 3-2.

“He did a credible job,” Manager Jim Tracy said.

Green homered with one out in the second. Three batters later Luis Terrero, who stepped to the plate batting .154 with no home runs or runs batted in, hit a two-run homer.

Erickson held the Diamondbacks scoreless over the next three innings. Eventually he could lose his starting job to Wilson Alvarez, who could come off the disabled list this weekend. However, the Dodgers would prefer to use Alvarez as a reliever.

A silver lining for the Dodgers was that no Diamondback runners stole a base. Catcher Jason Phillips has thrown out only two of 16 baserunners this season, although he is only partly at fault.

He did not catch sinkerball pitchers often the last year with the New York Mets -- when he threw out 31% of attempted base stealers -- and the Dodgers have several on their staff. Catching instructor Jon Debus worked with Phillips before the game, trying to shave one-tenth of a second off the time he gets the ball to second base on a steal.

“When you make a good throw and don’t get an out, that’s when you try to do it quicker and get in trouble,” Phillips said.

Few plays deflate a rally the way throwing a runner out trying to steal does. The Dodgers discovered that the hard way in the fifth inning when Cesar Izturis was thrown out with one out. Hee-Seop Choi and J.D. Drew followed with infield singles, but Jeff Kent hit into a force play to end the threat.

Phillips singled in a run in the second inning and Choi homered in the third, part of a four-hit night for the first baseman. Otherwise the Dodgers could not come through in the clutch, leaving nine runners on base. With the crowd on its feet, Choi flew out and Drew grounded out with two on and two out in the ninth.

Yet it was the diving catch by Green that seemed to gall fans the most. He had a reputation for not leaving his feet as a Dodger, and here he was, taking away a hit from Phillips with Ricky Ledee on third base representing the tying run.

“I always felt like that was an unjust rap,” Green said. “I would always dive for a ball that I could catch.”

Green was characteristically classy during the off-season when his name came up in several trade discussions. It became clear the Dodgers did not believe he was worth the $16 million he was owed in 2005, and eventually they dumped him for minor leaguers while agreeing to pay $10 million to the Diamondbacks.

This was payback, but Green will still cash the checks.

“I felt all along I wouldn’t allow a trade to a team that I didn’t feel was a contender,” he said. “With the moves the Diamondbacks made, I think this team can win.”

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Green Machine

In his first five games against the Dodgers, his former team, Arizona’s Shawn Green has homered three times, including once Tuesday night. A look at Green’s game-by-game performance:

*--* Date AB R H HR RBI April 8 3 1 0 0 0 April 9 5 3 2 1 2 April 10 3 1 1 1 1 April 25 4 0 1 0 1 April 26 4 1 2 1 1 Totals 19 6 6 3 5

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AVERAGE VS. DODGERS: .316

Note: Batting .279 in 61 at-bats against rest of the league, with no home runs and six RBIs.

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Saving the Day

Arizona closer Brandon Lyon increased his National League-leading save total to 10 Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. He has converted 10 of 11 save opportunities. National League save leaders:

* Brandon Lyon, Arizona...10

* Danny Graves, Cincinnati...8

* Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis...7

* Jose Mesa, Pittsburgh...7

* Dan Kolb, Atlanta...6

* Yhency Brazoban, Dodgers...5

* Brad Lidge, Houston...5