L.A. Never Finds Stride in Marathon

If it’s any solace, 17 years from now this game might be erased from the memories of Hong-Chih Kuo, Rafael Furcal, Dioner Navarro and the rest of the Dodgers who flailed and stumbled through a 14-inning, 4-3 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

Otherwise, wouldn’t Eddie Murray remember playing in the longest night game in Major League history?

Murray was the Dodger first baseman June 3, 1989, when the Astros defeated the Dodgers, 5-4, in 22 innings, a game that lasted 7 hours 14 minutes. Now he’s the Dodger batting coach, and he watched his hitters produce only three runs despite getting 10 hits and drawing nine walks over an excruciating 4 hours 48 minutes.

Did that long-ago marathon game cross his mind?

“I don’t remember it,” he said. “Nothing about it.”

Astro second baseman Craig Biggio and Manager Phil Garner remember it well. Biggio was the catcher then; Garner the first base coach. Apparently memories linger when they involve victories.

The Dodgers want to expunge this game as soon as possible. They canceled early batting practice today and will simply try to get out of Texas with a series victory.

“We had a few chances and we weren’t able to get the runs across,” Manager Grady Little said.

Dodger pitchers walked nine and gave up nine hits but worked out of numerous jams. The tightrope finally broke when Kuo walked Willy Taveras with one out in the 14th. Lance Berkman singled off the left-field wall, sending Taveras to third and moving to second on Jason Repko’s throw to the infield.

Little ordered Morgan Ensberg walked intentionally, and Preston Wilson hit a fly ball to medium center field that easily scored the speedy Taveras.

“We thought we were going to win,” Dodger outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. said. “We had chances to come through. It just didn’t happen.”

Lofton had four hits and walked, but scored only once because the three, four and five hitters were a combined two for 16. Nomar Garciaparra, who hit a grand slam to spark the Dodgers’ victory Monday, was 0 for 6.

After tying the score in the ninth against struggling Astro closer Brad Lidge, the Dodgers were held scoreless for four innings by Dave Borkowski in his National League debut and couldn’t score in the 14th despite loading the bases on walks against Ezequiel Astacio.

Because of numerous moves by Little earlier in the game, starting pitchers Brett Tomko and Odalis Perez were called on to pinch-hit. Perez made the last Dodger out, grounding to shortstop after Garner ordered Jeff Kent and Garciaparra walked intentionally with two out and Furcal on third.

The Dodgers were quiet until the fifth, when they finally got to rookie right-hander Fernando Nieve, who made the mistake of walking slumping Furcal with two out and no one on base.

Furcal scored on Lofton’s double, and after Drew walked, Kent dumped a singled to left against reliever Russ Springer to score Lofton and tie the score, 2-2.

After a lapse by Navarro allowed the Astros to take the lead -- the catcher tried to backhand a pitch by Brad Penny with the bases loaded and the ball rolled to the backstop -- the Dodgers prolonged the game by getting to Lidge in the ninth for the second game in a row. This time it wasn’t as dramatic as Garciaparra’s grand slam Monday, but Lidge again imploded.

After he walked pinch-hitter Oscar Robles on four pitches, Repko pinch-ran, stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Lofton walked and took second on defensive indifference. Garner had Lidge walk Drew intentionally, bringing up Kent, who poked an 0-2 fastball to right field for a sacrifice fly that sent the game into extra innings.

It marked the third no-decision in a row for Penny, who has pitched well in each of his five starts. Although he surrendered two runs in the first inning and struck out only one in seven innings, he sailed from the second through the sixth.

“We got good pitching throughout the game; that was a positive,” Little said. “We just didn’t capitalize on offense.”