They Show Their Fight

“The Ultimate Fighting Championship” was playing on the visiting clubhouse television set late Tuesday afternoon, several Dodgers lounging on the leather couches and taking in the caged brawls.

That night, the Dodgers themselves would find themselves fighting mad before administering a choke hold, of sorts, on Atlanta’s bullpen.

The Dodgers, with Manager Jim Tracy watching from his office after being ejected for arguing a call in the seventh inning, came back to beat the Braves, 6-4, with three runs in the ninth at Turner Field.

“It was a great comeback win, that goes without saying,” Tracy said.

The Dodgers (54-64) remained five games behind the San Diego Padres in the National League West. The Braves (68-50) saw their NL East lead fall to 4 1/2 over Washington.

Giovanni Carrara, who worked a perfect eighth inning, earned the win to improve to 7-4, and Duaner Sanchez, with a perfect ninth, got his first major league save, becoming the first Dodger not named Eric Gagne, Steve Schmoll or Yhency Brazoban to get one this year.

“I’m just going out there, pitching,” Sanchez said. “I’m not trying to put any pressure on myself. If I think it’s the ninth inning, then that’s probably putting pressure.”

Instead, the pressure was on Atlanta closer Chris Reitsma (3-4), and the right-hander cracked against the Dodgers, who had been one for 13 with runners in scoring position through eight innings.

Holding the one-run lead starter John Smoltz left with, and reliever Kyle Farnsworth held up, Reitsma ran into immediate problems when Jayson Werth doubled into right-center field.

Hee-Seop Choi followed with a single through the left side of the infield, putting runners at first and third for pinch-hitter Ricky Ledee, who walked to load the bases.

Jason Repko then replaced Choi at second, and pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz drove the first pitch he saw into left field to score Werth and Repko and give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead, Saenz taking second on the throw home.

“I was really trying to be aggressive if it was something in the strike zone,” Saenz said. “I hit it hard, not really trying to do something else. Luckily, it went through.”

After Reitsma intentionally walked Cesar Izturis to load the bases again, he was replaced by left-hander John Foster.

Oscar Robles’ single up the middle scored Ledee before the third Atlanta pitcher of the inning -- Dan Kolb -- extinguished the Dodger rally.

Dodger starter Derek Lowe, who left after seven innings trailing, 4-3, after giving up three solo home runs, did enough to keep the Dodgers in striking distance, Tracy said.

“I’m just trying to keep my team in the game because you know a pitcher like John Smoltz is not going to give you much,” said Lowe, who struck out Atlanta cleanup hitter Andruw Jones with his 120th and final pitch and a runner at third.

“We won the game; that’s important this time of year. It doesn’t matter if it’s pretty or ugly.”

The circumstances surrounding Tracy’s ejection were of the latter.

Jeff Kent bobbled pinch-hitter Kelly Johnson’s grounder, and although Kent recovered to throw to Lowe, who was covering the bag, umpire Larry Poncino ruled that it did not come in time.

Lowe argued, and Tracy, incensed that Choi had been called out by Poncino on a similarly close play to end the sixth with a runner on third, made his way out.

“I may have mentioned that, yes,” Tracy said with a sly grin of the earlier play.

It didn’t take long for Poncino to toss Tracy, and it didn’t take long for the Braves to score Johnson for a 4-3 lead.

Enter the comeback.

Having won four of five, beating the New York Mets’ Pedro Martinez, who no-hit them for 7 1/3 innings, and getting by Smoltz in consecutive games has the Dodgers riding high.

“Maybe good things are about to happen for the Dodgers,” Saenz said.

All they want is a fighting chance.

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Versatility

Derek Lowe and John Smoltz, the starters in Tuesday’s Dodger-Brave game, are two of three pitchers to have a 20-win season and a 40-save season. Dennis Eckersley is the other:

*--* Pitcher 20-win seasons 40-save seasons Lowe 2002 2000 Smoltz 1996 2002-04 Eckersley 1978 1988, 1990-92 Pitcher Career Wins Career Saves Lowe 80 85 Smoltz 175 154 Eckersley 197 390

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