L.A. Rolls Over, Begs

Baseball etiquette frowns upon a manager publicly pleading for a trade. After all, players generally don’t care to read that their manager believes he needs better players.

Jim Tracy stopped just short of casting etiquette to the wind Thursday. With Sunday’s trading deadline looming and no one running away with the National League West, Tracy hopes General Manager Paul DePodesta remembers last year and acts accordingly this year.

“The impact Steve Finley had on this club offensively made a heck of a lot of difference,” said Tracy, recalling the 13 home runs Finley hit in the two months after DePodesta acquired him last July. “I really think that’s something Paul is looking at every day.”

The Dodger offense hit the snooze button again Thursday in a 6-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Outfielder Milton Bradley wouldn’t discuss whether the Dodgers should make a trade but said the team could win without one, if the disabled list clears in time.

“I’ve said it since day one: Our healthy ballclub, against the healthy Giants and the healthy Padres? We’ve got the best club,” Bradley said. “We’ll see how it plays out down the stretch.”

With infielder Jose Valentin on a rehabilitation assignment and outfielder J.D. Drew hopeful of returning within a few weeks, the Dodgers could be at full offensive strength for the final month.

But the Padres or Arizona Diamondbacks could bury them with a winning streak before then; the Dodgers are five games out of first place now.

Tracy suggested Valentin is not the veteran hitter needed to support Bradley and Jeff Kent in the middle of the lineup. In Thursday’s lineup, the veteran batting fifth was Jason Phillips, a .237 hitter, ahead of four rookies.

“When you have days you’re moving a guy like Jason Phillips to try to plug something in the middle of the order ... I know Paul is aware of that. We’re all aware of that in here,” Tracy said. “That’s the reality of it.

“If we’re not able to do anything, Valentin helps to complement that situation. That depth from an offensive standpoint is something we’re in search of.”

Said Phillips: “Obviously, there is a little more pressure hitting behind Jeff Kent. Who would you rather face, me or him?”

With Kent granted a day off and Jayson Werth sidelined by a sore left knee, the Dodgers started a lineup that totaled 37 home runs. The Reds, the last-place team in the NL Central, started a lineup with 102 homers, including 28 by cleanup batter and much-rumored Dodger trade target Adam Dunn.

Dunn provided no power Thursday, but catcher Jason LaRue did, driving in five of the Reds’ six runs on a three-run homer against D.J. Houlton in the second inning and a two-run homer against Elmer Dessens in the ninth.

After Cesar Izturis led off the first inning with his first home run since opening day, the Dodgers put runners into scoring position twice, with two out in the sixth inning and two out in the eighth and Bradley up both times. Bradley grounded out in the sixth and flied out in the eighth.

Brandon Claussen and two relievers combined on a six-hitter, with the Reds (14 games below .500) winning the last two games of the series against the Dodgers (10 games under .500).

“We split the series,” Tracy said. “It’s not exactly what we wanted to do.”

Tracy wants a trade. Some trades work out, as the Finley deal did so well last year. Some do not.

“Sometimes it’s tough for a guy to come in when you expect a lot of him,” Phillips said, “to be a savior.”