Dodgers Talk a Good Game

The afternoon after his heated clubhouse exchange with Jeff Kent, Milton Bradley singled sharply to center field in his first at-bat.

One batter later, on Olmedo Saenz’s inning-ending pop-up to third, Bradley sprinted around the bases at full speed, passing Florida’s Mike Lowell as he caught the ball. Bradley then pointed at the Dodger dugout and jabbed his finger in that direction a few times for effect before flipping his helmet to the ground.

“I was just checking in and making sure my hustle was up to par,” Bradley said, his tongue planted firmly in cheek. “I got approval. I’m happy with that.”

The Dodgers, though, were anything but thrilled after being shut down by rookie left-hander Jason Vargas and losing, 7-1, to the Marlins on Sunday afternoon at Dolphins Stadium.

Vargas (4-1), who was called up from double A July 14, gave up one run and six hits -- three by Bradley -- struck out seven and walked one in his first complete game. He also drove in two runs with a single.

“He competed very well,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said of Vargas, a native of Apple Valley who played at Long Beach State. “He threw strikes. He had a catcher behind the plate [Paul Lo Duca] I’ve seen more than once take a young pitcher and do good things with him.”

Vargas’ performance was a reason the postgame atmosphere in the Dodger clubhouse was decidedly more somber than the previous evening, when they staged a comeback victory before Kent and Bradley had words.

Because Kent normally keeps to himself, Bradley was insulted and felt singled out that Kent pulled him aside to talk about playing harder. A yelling match ensued.

Bradley then went to Tracy with his concerns and they had a closed-door meeting. Bradley later gave a passionate if cryptic side of the story, though he never mentioned Kent by name.

Kent, who signed a two-year, $17-million free-agent contract with the Dodgers on Dec. 9, said the confrontation had nothing to do with Bradley’s not scoring from first base on his double and also spoke of his role on the team.

“That’s unfair to him, to single out one incident and I won’t single out incidents,” said Kent, who sat out Sunday’s game as part of a pre-planned day of rest. “It’s been a build-up of frustration of our season and this isn’t pinned at Milton. This was just a clarification of what this team needs to continue to do if it wants to win.

“Veteran players do more by leading by example and doing the things on the field that need to be done versus having everyday conversations with 25 different guys in the locker room. I’m a baseball player. I play baseball. It’s not my job to be coach. It’s not my job to police the area. It’s my job to play baseball and try to win and every now and then [if] something ... needs to be said, say it.

“This is not something that I learned on my own. This is something that has been taught to me through the games of the veteran ballplayers who have played this game.”

Kent also said Bradley’s veiled shots at him the previous night -- when he said some players are only concerned about stats and Hall of Fame plaques -- did not bother him.

“It doesn’t, because I play baseball,” said Kent, who made his major league debut in 1992. “But I play it well and I play it to be a champion and I play it with respect and those are the things that I do. And I’m comfortable with that. So if you’re comfortable with who you are and what you do out on the field, it doesn’t matter what people say about you.

“How other players respond to it, that’s different. But you’re talking about me, who treats this locker room with respect and treats the game with respect.”

Bradley, though, was still unsure of Kent’s motive.

“If what happened was meant to make me step up my game to the next level, I have every intention of doing that,” Bradley said. “If it was personal, then that will be handled too.

“The other guys in this clubhouse know me, love me and respect me and I respect them back ... it’s not about a power struggle -- who’s behind who more. It’s about wins and going out there and giving their best effort.”

The Dodgers’ effort on this day, though, was suspect as starter Derek Lowe (8-12) was pounded for six runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.

“I’m speechless,” Lowe said. “I left too many pitches in the middle of the plate. They took advantage of it.”

The Dodgers’ lone run came in the eighth, when pinch-hitter Hee-Seop Choi’s single to left scored Jason Phillips, who walked to start the inning.

Bradley was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Miguel Cabrera in the seventh when he tried to score from second on Antonio Perez’s hit.

The way Bradley sees it, at least no one could question whether he was hustling.