Dodgers Miss It by That Much

Maybe on a different day against a different opponent the Dodgers could have withstood an umpire’s call going the other way. But in the sixth inning Saturday against the class of the National League, reliever Brett Tomko’s navel-high slider to David Wright wasn’t strike three and a victory wasn’t to be.

Instead the pitch was called ball three, Tomko drew a breath and threw a 96-mph fastball that Wright banged into center field, driving in two runs to put the New York Mets ahead by the eventual final score, 3-2, at Shea Stadium.

“On the field, it certainly appeared to be a strike,” Manager Grady Little said. “Then when we got to the clubhouse and watched it on video, we certainly were able to see that our eyes were right.”

After two one-sided shutouts -- one going to each team -- the third game of this key four-game series began as a taut battle between two savvy, 40-something pitchers, turned on Wright’s at-bat and ended with a swing at a bad pitch and a baserunning miscue.

Greg Maddux (12-13) pitched well for the Dodgers, but Orlando Hernandez (10-10) pitched better for the Mets, lasting seven innings and turning the ball over to setup reliever Aaron Heilman and closer Billy Wagner.

Wagner notched his 36th save with considerable help from the Dodgers, who remain 1 1/2 games in front of the San Diego Padres in the NL West. In fact, had the Dodgers been smarter in the ninth, they might have benefited from a questionable call that went their way.

Jeff Kent singled with one out, two pitches after the first base umpire ruled he checked a swing that would have been strike three. Replays showed Kent probably swung.

Jason Repko pinch-ran for Kent and pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz worked Wagner to a full count. Repko ran on the next pitch despite a poor jump, Saenz swung through a high fastball and Repko was thrown out at second. Game over.

Kenny Lofton, the stolen-base leader among active players with 592, had strong words for Repko in the dugout. Rafael Furcal, the Dodgers stolen-base leader this season with 33, had strong words for Repko in the clubhouse.

“Kenny told me that if you get a late jump, don’t go,” Repko said. “Raffy said that Wagner was too focused on the hitter to throw over, so I should have had a better jump.”

Before the pitch, however, first base coach Mariano Duncan told Repko to make sure Wagner went to the plate before breaking, treating the play almost like a hit-and-run.

“That had a lot to do with the at-bat Olmedo Saenz was putting together,” Little said. “We felt for sure Olmedo was going to put that ball in play.”

The full-count pitch was a shoulder-high 98-mph fastball and Saenz couldn’t lay off it.

The Dodgers were left pondering a heaping helping of what-ifs, including what if Maddux hadn’t been caught off third base on a ground ball to third baseman Wright with one out in the sixth.

He got into a rundown that fatigued him, and although the Dodgers scored two runs to take the lead, Maddux faced only two batters in the bottom of the inning before telling Little that he was too tired to continue, despite having thrown only 72 pitches.

Jose Valentin doubled with one out, but before letting Maddux depart, Little defied conventional wisdom by ordering Carlos Beltran walked intentionally to put the go-ahead run on base. Left-hander Tim Hamulack got Carlos Delgado to fly deep to center, advancing the runners.

Next up was Wright, who has developed into one of the league’s most dangerous hitters in only his second full season. Little countered with Tomko, who threw nothing but quality pitches. Especially the 2-and-2 slider that wasn’t called strike three.

“I thought it was a pretty good pitch,” he said. “Then I threw the fastball on the inner quarter of the plate and somehow Wright got his hands inside it and hit it up the middle.”

Little held a team meeting before the game, reminding the Dodgers how far they have come since spring training despite numerous roster changes and emphasizing that each of the last 21 games was crucial.

“Now we have 20 games left,” he said. “We are realists, knowing we aren’t going to go 20-0. The key is to rebound from a day you don’t have success.”

Or get a pivotal call.

steve.henson@latimes.com