Stars Align in This Victory

The two Dodgers most likely to be doing something besides relaxing on their couch a month from now performed like the All-Stars they are shaping up to be Friday night in a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Brad Penny improved to 7-1, throwing 8 1/3 scoreless innings in the longest Dodgers start of the season -- at Coors Field, no less. He has victories in five of his last six starts and already has equaled his win total of last season.

First baseman Nomar Garciaparra doubled twice and drove in a run, improving his batting average to .370 and extending his hitting streak to 12. He has 20 doubles in 165 at-bats, has reached base in 32 consecutive games and would be leading the league in batting if he had five more plate appearances.

Those are All-Star numbers, and the Dodgers certainly wouldn’t be tied for first place in the National League West without their contributions.

“I don’t think anybody could argue with that,” Manager Grady Little said.

Penny has never been an All-Star. And although Garciaparra made the American League team five times with the Boston Red Sox, injuries kept him home during the three-day break in July the last two years.

Neither player has given the honor much thought.

“That’ll take care of itself,” Penny said. “I’d rather win a World Series than be an All-Star. If we make the playoffs, it won’t matter if I played in an All-Star game or not.”

The Dodgers (34-27) pulled even with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lost to the New York Mets. The Rockies, who led the division until mid-May, are 29-30 and have lost 12 of 16.

Shutting them out isn’t as difficult since team officials began softening the baseballs by keeping them in a humidor. The Rockies have been shut out seven times this season, three times at Coors Field.

They sent Dodgers right fielder J.D. Drew against the wall three times in the last two innings, but all were outs, including a drive by Todd Helton for the second out in the ninth inning with a runner on base. He was the first batter faced by Takashi Saito, who struck out Matt Holliday for his third save.

Penny became the first Dodgers starter to venture into the ninth and he left after throwing 117 pitches, 84 for strikes and only five resulting in hits. Little told him before the inning that Saito would come in if a runner reached base, so there was no repeat of the tantrum Penny threw when he was pulled two starts ago at Atlanta.

Penny gave Little a pat on the shoulder as he departed, signaling that he and the manager were on the same page. “There weren’t any water coolers getting hit,” Little said, smiling. “I guess he was fine.”

Penny kept his pitch count manageable, something he hadn’t been able to do. Rockies batters were swinging early in the count, and Penny was locating his fastball on both sides of the plate.

The result was a simple two-pitch game plan. Penny threw only fastballs and curves. He didn’t need his split-finger fastball or a changeup.

“When there is a certain pitch a guy is throwing well, you keep calling it,” catcher Russell Martin said.

Martin gave Penny the only run he needed with a triple that scored Ramon Martinez in the third inning against a Rockies pitcher who has given the Dodgers fits for two years, Byung-Hyun Kim.

Penny helped himself, driving in Martin with a single for a 2-0 lead. The Dodgers scored again in the seventh when Garciaparra brought home Rafael Furcal with his second double. Since Garciaparra sat out the first two weeks of the season because of an injury, it has taken time for him to compile enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting crown. He should have enough in three or four more games and will vault to the top of the list -- the leader going into today’s games is Scott Rolen of St. Louis at .343.

Albert Pujols is the runaway All-Star vote leader at first base, but he is on the disabled list and it is questionable whether he will be activated by July 11.

Health was on Penny’s mind as he defeated the Rockies for the third time in 24 days. Coors Field is where he pitched his first game last season after coming off the disabled list, the Dodgers uncertain whether he would have a recurrence of the biceps nerve injury that shelved him in 2004.

“When I think about that injury, it puts things in perspective,” he said. “If it ever does happen again, I’ll know it wasn’t because I didn’t work hard trying to prevent it.”