Dodgers’ Bridge Is Blown Up by Tigers

It sure seemed mundane for something that never happened in 105 years.

The Detroit Tigers had played 16,164 games before Tuesday night. Never had they defeated the Dodgers.

Then Scott Erickson and Duaner Sanchez came out of the Dodger bullpen and history was made. A two-run lead was gone in an instant, replaced by a four-run deficit that held up in the Tigers’ 8-4 victory at Dodger Stadium.

Two storied franchises. Same old story for Dodger middle relievers.

“That part you would like to see go better,” Manager Jim Tracy said.

As multi-century accomplishments go, this wasn’t all it appeared to be. The Dodgers had played the Tigers only four times, sweeping a three-game series in Detroit in 2003 and winning the opener of this series Monday.

Ramifications for the Dodgers (30-28) are more immediate. Their modest three-game winning streak was snapped and they blew a chance to pass the Arizona Diamondbacks and move into second place in the NL West.

And they fell to 4-5 on a homestand against mediocre opponents that they’d hoped would boost their sagging fortunes.

The only lift came to the Tigers (27-29) courtesy of Erickson, a veteran right-hander banished to the bullpen after eight mostly ineffective starts, and the normally reliable Sanchez.

Erickson replaced rookie starter Derek Thompson to begin the sixth with the Dodgers leading, 4-2. Ivan Rodriguez, who had four hits, homered on the second pitch. Craig Monroe singled and Ramon Martinez walked, prompting Tracy to summon Franquelis Osoria, who made his major league debut by retiring three batters in a row, Monroe scoring the tying run on a ground out to tie the score.

Sanchez (1-2) took over in the seventh and was greeted by back-to-back home runs by rookie Tony Giarratano and Dmitri Young. Tracy left Sanchez on the mound and the Tigers scored two more runs on three hits.

“Duaner gave it up early, before he had a chance to get it going,” Dodger catcher Jason Phillips said. “But we only had five hits; we should have been able to get something going.”

The Dodgers scored in the first inning when Jeff Kent drove in Jason Repko with a single, giving Kent 10 hits and 10 RBIs in his last 13 at-bats. Phillips homered to lead off the fourth and the Dodgers took a 4-2 lead in the fifth on a two-run double by Olmedo Saenz.

A string of Tiger relievers held the Dodgers hitless the rest of the way.

“We got another adequate start from Derek Thompson and I felt good about the position we were in,” Tracy said.

Thompson’s three starts since his promotion from double-A have been remarkably similar. He has pitched five innings each time and allowed two or three runs.

In the third and fourth innings Tuesday, the Tigers capitalized on leadoff singles to score their first two runs, although it took questionable defense by Dodger infielders for runners to cross home plate.

Thompson could have wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the third, but third baseman Antonio Perez threw to first instead of to the plate with one out. And with none out and runners on first and second in the fourth, shortstop Cesar Izturis speared a sharp ground ball but rushed a toss to second baseman Kent, who couldn’t barehand it.

Kent retrieved the ball in time to get a force out at second, but there was no time for a double play. Martinez brought in Rodriguez with a sacrifice fly. The Dodgers got a break in the fifth when Carlos Guillen strained his left hamstring rounding third on a single by Young and was thrown out at the plate by center fielder Repko.

But the Dodger bullpen gate opened and the deluge began.