Duke Is Not Sharp but Rules Dodgers

Jeff Kent and Milton Bradley express displeasure in decidedly different ways. Both were on display Saturday night during the Dodgers’ 9-4 loss at PNC Park.

Pittsburgh Pirate rookie left-hander Zach Duke possesses the apt name and ample game to become the next big thing in the Steel City. And when he caught Kent looking at strike three in the seventh inning moments after Bradley had done the same, the Dodgers directed their ire at umpire Doug Eddings.

Kent stood at the plate, slowly dropping his bat, gloves and helmet while jawing at Eddings in measured tones. Meanwhile, Bradley gestured to Eddings as he walked from the dugout to center field, indicating he thought the pitch to him had been low and the pitch to Kent high.

Bradley has kept his temper under control all season, however, and this was no exception. He stopped gesturing and quietly talked to first base umpire Bruce Dreckman at length before taking his position.

Asked what he and Dreckman discussed, Bradley said, “I’ve got the right to remain silent, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

The entire clubhouse was noiseless. The Dodgers (49-61) fell six games behind suddenly resurgent San Diego in the National League West and again are giving scant indication they can mount any kind of charge down the stretch.

If it isn’t the offense struggling to produce runs, it’s the defense struggling to prevent runs. The best the Dodgers can do, it seems, is bark at questionable calls because there is little bite in their game.

Duke, off to the best start by a rookie left-hander since Fernando Valenzuela with the Dodgers in 1981, didn’t have his best stuff, giving up 10 hits and four runs in 7 1/3 innings. But the Dodgers were the dukes of haphazard, misplaying fly balls, booting ground balls, giving up stolen bases without throws and leaving 10 runners on base.

Manager Jim Tracy wanted to get as many right-handed bats into the lineup as possible, so he put Olmedo Saenz at third base -- a position he hadn’t played in several weeks -- and Antonio Perez at second and Kent at first.

Saenz booted the first ground ball hit to him, a seemingly sure double play with one out in the first inning. A single by Jose Castillo with two out scored Chris Duffy, tying the score, 1-1.

Saenz also made a throwing error, but his bat was needed. He homered for the second game in a row and drove in two runs with singles to give him a two-game total of nine runs batted in.

Tracy could have left Saenz at first and Kent at second base -- the positions they normally play -- but he knows Perez is not comfortable playing third. In short, the Dodger pieces don’t fit well.

“I knew from looking at Zach Duke’s numbers that we would need some runs to win this game,” Tracy said, acknowledging that he sacrificed defense in an attempt to create offense.

Normally reliable Dodger fielders had letdowns too.

Left fielder Jason Repko misplayed a fly ball for the second game in a row for one of 15 hits against Odalis Perez (6-6), Giovanni Carrara and Wilson Alvarez.

The Pirates (47-64) banged out four doubles, a triple and Jack Wilson’s sixth home run in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

Duke (5-0) had his earned-run average jump from 0.92 to 1.54. Only 22, he’s the kind of exciting young pitcher a team can build around.

The Dodgers countered with Perez, the only left-hander in their rotation.

“Last year was different,” Perez said. “We had players who might have been the best double-play combination in the major leagues. This year maybe it isn’t. But they go out there with the best attitude and confidence they can.”