Dodgers let a big one get away in the ninth

Takashi Saito is expected to return tonight following a four-day absence, and the Dodgers can’t wait.

The back end of their bullpen has been in tatters since their closer was sidelined by a sore left hamstring, the latest blunder coming in spectacular fashion Thursday night during a 6-5 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

Fill-in closer Jonathan Broxton entered the ninth inning with a four-run lead and left a loser after the Padres rallied to complete an unlikely three-game sweep by sending nine men to the plate in their final at-bat.

Broxton walked Russell Branyan on a full count with the bases loaded to bring home the winning run for the Padres, who extended their lead in the National League West to one game over Arizona and 2 1/2 games over the Dodgers.

“I went out there and tried to challenge guys and just came out on the short end,” said Broxton, who gave up five hits and five runs -- four earned -- while retiring only one batter. “I just had some bad luck.”

Broxton didn’t get much help from his infielders either.

Geoff Blum got things started in the ninth with an infield single and went to second when first baseman Nomar Garciaparra booted Terrmel Sledge’s grounder for an error when he turned his body toward second base in hopes of starting a double play.

“You better watch out when things like that start happening,” Dodgers Manager Grady Little said.

Marcus Giles then singled to left field to load the bases for pinch-hitter Paul McAnulty, who won a footrace with Garciaparra on a chopper to the first baseman. Blum scored to make it 5-2.

Adrian Gonzalez followed with a two-run, ground-rule double to right-center to draw the Padres to within 5-4, and Broxton intentionally walked Josh Bard to load the bases again. Mike Cameron then hit an RBI single to center to tie the score and those who remained from a crowd of 40,631 roared their approval.

Broxton momentarily recovered by striking out Kevin Kouzmanoff on a 94-mph fastball, but then he walked Branyan and walked off the field.

Little said he wasn’t concerned about Broxton (2-2), who had nearly cost the Dodgers a victory Monday at Pittsburgh with a shaky ninth.

“This is a strong young man and he’ll be OK,” Little said. “We’ll get Saito back [today] and get everybody back where they’re supposed to be.”

Little said Saito wasn’t an option Thursday even though the closer had said before the game that he could pitch in a pinch.

“We’ve got another 100 games to go, and to pitch him at this point doesn’t make any sense at all,” Little said.

After scoring a total of two runs in the first two games of the series, the Dodgers built a seemingly commanding 5-1 lead entering the ninth. Rafael Furcal drove in three runs, Luis Gonzalez added an insurance run with a long eighth-inning homer and starter Hong-Chih Kuo provided a major boost by pitching six strong innings.

Kuo was effectively wild in the early going, walking four batters through the first three innings and yet holding the Padres scoreless. He also fielded a Gonzalez grounder and skipped his throw past Garciaparra in the first inning, putting runners on first and third with one out.

Kuo escaped that mess by striking out the next two hitters to end the inning, but he wasn’t as fortunate in the fourth when Padres starter Jake Peavy had a run-scoring double.

The Dodgers couldn’t slow down San Diego, which has gone a major league-best 24-10 since May 1. The Padres hung two losses in the series on Dodgers relievers after scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth inning Tuesday off Rudy Seanez.

“We came in here with different intentions, and that’s just the way it came out,” Luis Gonzalez said. “It was a good road trip until we got here. We’re just looking forward to getting home.”

And getting their closer back.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com