Sloppy penmanship sinks Dodgers

Roberto Hernandez seemed to almost forecast the troubles he would encounter Friday night.

Before the game he talked of how, upon being released by Cleveland last month, he was reduced to playing catch with his 13-year-old son at their Florida home. He spoke of how his workouts mainly consisted of pool exercises. And he talked about how when he was called up from triple-A Las Vegas two days earlier, his arm strength and velocity weren’t back to normal.

The recently signed 42-year-old knew what he was talking about.

Hernandez gave up three runs in a decisive eighth inning that cost the Dodgers a 4-1 loss to the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium and a chance to take a one-game lead over San Diego in the National League West.

But Hernandez, who pitched a scoreless inning in his first appearance for the Dodgers the previous night, was encouraged.

“I take this as a positive even though it’s a negative right now,” Hernandez said. “My command’s there and I’ve been able to throw strikes and limit the walks. That’s what bit me in Cleveland. Right now, the only thing I have to do is work down in the zone and get ahead of hitters.”

Hernandez failed to keep the ball down on the pitch that resulted in a home run by Carlos Beltran. The blast counted for two runs instead of one because of a throwing error Hernandez made earlier in the inning after fielding a sacrifice bunt by Marlon Anderson. Jose Reyes, who’d led off the eighth with a double, scored the go-ahead run when Hernandez’s throw went past first baseman James Loney.

“I rushed it,” Hernandez said.

While Hernandez was surprisingly upbeat afterward, Dodgers starter Brett Tomko, the formerly embattled reliever, was feeling even more encouraged. Tomko held the Mets to an unearned run and five hits over six innings in his best start in more than three months.

Anderson was the only runner to score on his watch, in the first inning after reaching base on an error by Juan Pierre. Tomko’s earned-run average, which was 6.18 at the All-Star break, was lowered to 5.42.

Manager Grady Little said Tomko would probably remain in the rotation.

“He hasn’t done anything yet to do anything different,” Little said.

Tomko said he cleared a significant psychological barrier by pitching well in a stadium in which he was regularly booed leading up to the All-Star break.

“There was a bit of apprehension about how I was going to be received going out there because it’s been a tough place for me to pitch,” Tomko said.

That Tomko could emerge from a stretch during which he gave up eight runs in 5 2/3 innings of relief work and make his second consecutive solid start seemed particularly important on this night. Tomko didn’t save the bullpen, but he didn’t heavily tax it the way Derek Lowe did Thursday, when he lasted only three innings.

Tomko allowed Little to stay away from using Eric Stults, who the manager said will start Sunday in place of the heavily-used Mark Hendrickson, unless the Dodgers call Stults in relief today.

Catcher Russell Martin said Tomko’s ability to throw his cutter for strikes when down in the count was “pretty much the equalizer for him.”

The Dodgers’ only run came on a second-inning home run by Nomar Garciaparra -- only his third this season and his first since June 30 -- as Mets starter Oliver Perez limited the home team to six hits over 7 1/3 innings.

Jeff Kent led off the sixth inning with the 523rd double of his career, which tied him with Willie Mays for 33rd all time, but the Dodgers failed to capitalize.

Garciaparra came to the plate with runners on first and third in the eighth but flied out to center to end the inning.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com