This Dodger Victory Is a So-Lowe Effort

Throughout his career, Rich Aurilia has been as pesky to opposing pitchers as, well, a blister.

Monday night at Dodger Stadium, Aurilia and a blister converged to keep Derek Lowe from baseball history.

The Dodger right-hander, who had already thrown a no-hitter in the American League, surrendered but one hit -- a two-out, fifth-inning single to Aurilia -- and had to leave after eight innings because of a wicked blister on his right thumb.

Still, Lowe was more than happy to have pitched the Dodgers to a 4-0 defeat of the Cincinnati Reds in the first of a four-game series.

“If you’ve got a no-hitter, you go back out there for the ninth inning,” said Lowe, who no-hit the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Fenway Park on April 27, 2002, when he was with the Boston Red Sox.

Against the Reds, Lowe, who signed a four-year, $36-million free-agent contract with the Dodgers on Jan. 11, struck out five batters and walked one while throwing 97 pitches, 64 for strikes.

Lowe (7-10) had a 10.35 earned-run average in his previous three home starts, all losses.

The only other Cincinnati baserunner was purported Dodger trade target Adam Dunn, the Reds’ left fielder, who walked in the first inning but was wiped out on a double play.

Aurilia’s hit was a liner to the right of a diving Cesar Izturis at shortstop.

“It was a sinker he tried to throw but it was just up in the zone,” Aurilia said. “I wouldn’t say he was nasty, but he pitched a great game ... he was effective.

“Good pitching beats good hitting any day.”

The Dodgers (45-54) had both, at least for one night.

They did most of their offensive damage in the second inning. And it was wreaked by a seldom-used outfielder.

Olmedo Saenz and Ricky Ledee led off with consecutive singles, Jason Phillips walked to load the bases and Jayson Werth popped out to second base. Then center fielder Jason Repko and his .215 batting average stepped to the plate.

Repko, playing for Milton Bradley, drove an Aaron Harang offering to deep right-center, burning Cincinnati center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. as the ball bounded to the wall.

“I was looking away, two strikes, and I got it,” Repko said. “I was lucky Griffey wasn’t playing that way.”

Saenz and Ledee scored easily but the slow-footed Phillips was barely rounding third when Red shortstop Felipe Lopez took the relay throw. Lopez seemed stunned that Phillips was still running.

Phillips barely beat the throw home, sliding head-first and getting his hand to the plate under catcher Jason LaRue to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.

An inning later, Phillips, who was three for three, gave the Dodgers a 4-0 advantage when his two-out single to right scored Jeff Kent.

While the Reds fell to 42-57, the Dodgers continued their improbable ascent.

Jim Tracy was managing the Montreal Expos’ triple-A affiliate in Ottawa, Canada, the last time he saw something this preposterous.

It was 1994, the major league season had been sabotaged by the season-ending strike and despite the Texas Rangers’ being 10 games under .500 at 52-62 at the time, they were leading the American League West.

The San Diego Padres may still have a winning record, by one game, but the precedent is there and the Dodgers’ manager is taking heart.

Especially with the Dodgers closing to within five games of the idle Padres in the uninspiring National League West.

“Five games [behind] in the loss column, it’s doable,” Tracy said. “I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but it’s doable.”

As is Lowe’s next scheduled start.

“It wasn’t worth ripping it up even more tonight,” said Lowe, who was soaking the thumb in nail-polish remover after the game. “How big it got how fast” was surprising, he said.

“I’d say I’m definitely pitching” his next start.

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Sinking in the West

Records in the National League West since June 15:

*--* Team W L PCT SAN FRANCISCO 16 19 457 SAN DIEGO 14 20 412 COLORADO 14 21 400 ARIZONA 13 21 382 DODGERS 12 23 343

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