Dodgers Get Confirmation

It’s official.

What was foretold in some preseason predictions, became embarrassingly obvious as the quality of play steadily deteriorated and seemed painfully inevitable as the names on the disabled list grew, came to pass Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers will not repeat as National League West champions. They were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-3, leaving them nine games behind the division-leading San Diego Padres with eight to play.

The Padres did their best to give the Dodgers another day of false hope by blowing a three-run lead in losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-5.

Not to be denied, the Dodgers proceeded to eliminate themselves in a game that was equal parts shaky pitching, shakier defense and ineffective offense, all elements that have contributed to their dismal season.

“There comes a point in time when reality does set in,” Manager Jim Tracy said.

That point for him, Tracy said, was last weekend when the Dodgers lost three of four to the San Francisco Giants.

“We knew whoever came out of that series on the right end would still have a shot,” Tracy said.

The fact the Dodgers remained alive in the division race until little more than a week remained in the regular season despite a record that fell to 68-86 Saturday speaks more to the struggles of the Padres than the legitimacy of the Dodgers as championship contenders.

A left-handed Perez started for each team, and they got the decisions. Oliver Perez (7-5) was the winner, Odalis Perez (7-8), pitching two innings in his return from a rib cage injury, took the loss.

Pittsburgh catcher Ryan Doumit had four hits.

There was one emotional high. Wilson Alvarez, the Dodgers’ 35-year-old left-hander who has been on the disabled list because of a sore shoulder, made his first appearance since Aug. 6.

Alvarez pitched one hitless inning, giving up a walk.

Expected to retire at season’s end, Alvarez, a 14-year veteran, was surrounded in the dugout after the inning by teammates who knew this might be his final appearance.

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For most rookies, trying to impress the front office and make the big league club is stressful. But for Dioner Navarro, the stress doesn’t start until he leaves the ballpark.

That’s when he again concentrates fully on the major concern in his life, the condition of his 2-week-old son, Dioner Jr., who remains in a Pasadena hospital because of an undisclosed illness.

“For me, this is relaxation, a chance to get away from the stress,” Navarro said. “It takes me a little while to focus when I first get here, but when I’m here, I’m here.”

Navarro was optimistic about his son.

“He has made some progress in the last two to three days,” Navarro said. “All we can do is pray until he is safe.”

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Although Jeff Weaver’s final turn in the rotation would come up against the Padres next Sunday, the final day of the regular season, Tracy said he would bypass Weaver to get a look at some of his younger pitchers if the division race has been decided by then.