Dodgers Lose Control in Ninth

Dodger Manager Grady Little was looking for a spot to get struggling right-hander Lance Carter some work. And he figured the ninth inning of Sunday afternoon’s Dodger-San Diego Padre game at Petco Park was an ideal spot.

After all, the Dodgers had a five-run lead and were shutting out San Diego, which had scored a total of five runs in its previous five games.

And only once in franchise history had the Padres overcome a five-run deficit in the ninth inning.

So much for statistical trends.

And so much for Carter’s chance for redemption.

With the pitcher leading his team over the abyss, followed by fellow relievers Danys Baez and Tim Hamulack, the Dodgers suffered a stunning collapse, allowing the National League West-worst Padres to rally for five runs in the ninth and go on to a 10-inning, 6-5 victory.

“This is what this team needs,” said San Diego third baseman Mark Bellhorn, whose third hit of the game, a single down the left-field line, drove in the winning run. “We need to believe we can come back.”

After Brian Giles raced across home plate with the winning run, the Padres celebrated in a huge circle around Bellhorn at first base as if they had won the pennant.

In fact, they had only ended a five-game losing streak and are still at the bottom of the division at 9-15.

And once the euphoria wears off, the Padres might concede that the victory resulted as much from the Dodger relievers’ failure to command their pitches as it did from the Padres’ ability to take command of the situation.

In the ninth and 10th innings, the Dodgers issued five walks and gave up only four singles.

“The roof just caved in,” Little said.

The first shingles were dislodged by Carter, who entered the game with an 0-1 record, zero saves, a 4.66 earned-run average and 10 hits and six walks given up in 9 2/3 innings.

He gave up a single to deep short by Mike Cameron to lead off the inning and a single to right by Giles, and then walked Mike Piazza to load the bases.

Enter Baez, the closer in the absence of injured Eric Gagne. Baez had recorded saves in each of the previous two games and each of the Dodgers’ last five victories to give him a team-leading eight.

Baez gave up an RBI single to Bellhorn for San Diego’s first run, then walked the next two batters -- Khalil Greene and pinch-hitter Eric Young -- to force in a pair of runs.

“I couldn’t control my pitches,” Baez said. “It was just one of those days. I lost my mechanics. I was overthrowing, trying to do too much.”

Even when he regained some measure of control, Baez was unable to prevent the Padres from getting the ball in the air. San Diego tied the score on sacrifice flies by Josh Barfield and Geoff Blum.

Hamulack (1-2), on the mound in the 10th for the Dodgers, walked Giles and Piazza before facing Bellhorn.

“I figured he was going to come in with a pitch because he wouldn’t want to walk another hitter,” Bellhorn said.

That Hamulack did, serving up an 88-mph fastball that Bellhorn drove past third baseman Bill Mueller.

“It’s frustrating,” said Dodger right-hander Derek Lowe, who started the game and pitched six innings, giving up no runs and two hits.

While Lowe was in, the Dodgers (12-13), hoping for a series sweep and a move above .500, scored a run in the second and four in the fifth.

Jason Repko’s single brought home the first run. A two-run single by Normar Garciaparra and a two-run homer by Mueller brought home the others.

“I thought the wheels were back on track,” said Little of Carter, “but they came off again.”

And this time, nobody who followed him could regain control.