Dodger Reunion Turns Sour

Paul Lo Duca was holding court.

Seated in the opponent’s dugout at Dodger Stadium, the Florida Marlin catcher was surrounded by media and well-wishers. They wanted his take on his second return to Chavez Ravine since last summer’s six-player trade between the Dodgers and Marlins that sent one of the most popular Dodgers of recent years to South Florida.

“Last year was a lot more emotional,” Lo Duca said, matter-of-factly. “It was about a month after the trade ... but it’s always good to come back.

“I’m a Marlin now and I’m happy to be a Marlin.”

Especially on Monday.

On a night when reunions were the norm and not the exception, the Marlins were the ones celebrating old acquaintances with a 6-2 victory over the Dodgers before an announced crowd of 46,632.

Dodger starter Brad Penny, who came from the Marlins in the July 30, 2004 trade, was hit hard by his former teammates, who had 16 hits.

“There were a little [nerves]; those are my friends over there,” said Penny (2-2), who gave up four runs and nine hits in six innings while striking out three and walking two, one intentionally. The right-hander gave up two home runs and was taken to the fence on two other occasions.

“But we can’t be friends anymore, they got me tonight.”

Marlin starter Brian Moehler (2-1), meanwhile, gave up two runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out two with one walk and the right-hander had just enough to keep the punchless Dodgers in their offensive funk.

A day after leaving 10 runners on base, the third-place Dodgers (21-17) stranded another eight and they are three for their last 21 with runners in scoring position. They have lost five of their last six games, seven of 10, and fell 1 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres in the National League West.

Clean-up hitter Jeff Kent, whose batting average fell under .300 on Sunday for the first time all season, continued his slump by going 0 for 4. He is one for his last 16.

“Obviously it’s a very tough phase we’re going through right now,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said. “It tests your charisma and wherewithal.”

The Marlins got to Penny early.

In the first inning Miguel Cabrera crushed a 1-and-0 offering from Penny, turning on the 76-mph curveball and driving it 429 feet into the left-field pavilion for a two-out, two-run home run.

It was Cabrera’s team-leading seventh homer.

In the second, doubles by Damion Easley and Alex Gonzalez scored Easley before the Dodgers broke through in the bottom half when Milton Bradley came home on Jason Phillips’ double-play ground out.

Florida scored again in the fourth on Juan Encarnacion’s leadoff homer. Encarnacion was sent to Florida along with Lo Duca.

The Dodgers got one back in the seventh on Cesar Izturis’ two-out single that scored Phillips and put runners at first and second.

But after Florida brought in left-handed reliever Matt Perisho and the Dodgers countered by sending up right-handed batter Olmedo Saenz to pinch hit for Hee-Seop Choi, Saenz’s drive to the left-center gap was run down by the Marlin center fielder Juan Pierre.

“That was the big momentum swinger,” Tracy said.

The Marlins then added to their lead with two runs in the eighth off reliever Giovanni Carrara.

In a stadium that had undergone as many, if not more, changes than the Dodger roster since last summer, Lo Duca again made himself at home, going two for four while getting hit by a pitch and calling a winning game from behind the plate.

But according to Lo Duca, the Marlin pitchers are the ones to credit.

“It’s probably the best pitching staff I’ve caught,” Lo Duca said, “and I caught some good ones here.”