Penny on the money again

Riddle you this, Dodgers fans: Name the last Dodgers starting pitcher to appear in consecutive All-Star games.

It has been a while, a long while for a team with such a distinguished pitching lineage. But that drought could end this year, with Brad Penny staking a stronger claim to an All-Star encore with every start.

Penny tamed the New York Mets on Wednesday, striking out seven and walking none over seven innings of the Dodgers’ 9-1 victory. Wilson Betemit and James Loney homered, Rafael Furcal had two triples and Matt Kemp had three hits, as the Dodgers completed their first sweep of the Mets at Dodger Stadium in 11 years.

The game included a sideshow, with Penny accusing the Mets’ Shawn Green of playing unethically.

The Dodgers, tied with the San Diego Padres atop the National League West, lead the league with 38 victories. The Angels and Boston Red Sox lead the majors with 41, with the Angels headed to Dodger Stadium for a series starting Friday.

The Mets lost for the ninth time in 10 games and will play the resurgent Yankees this weekend.

Penny’s consistency this season has been remarkable. In his 14 starts, he has given up no runs four times and one run four times. He has given up more than three runs only twice.

He is 8-1, with a 2.18 earned-run average. When he started the All-Star game last season, he had a 2.91 ERA. If he returns to the All-Star game, he’ll be the first Dodgers starter to appear in consecutive years since Ramon Martinez, in 1990-91.

“I’d love to go back there,” Penny said. “To make it once is awesome. To make it back and go two years in a row, wow.”

Said Manager Grady Little: “The guy is a better pitcher than he was last year. He was throwing harder last year. He’s corralled himself a little bit, both mentally and physically.”

Yet, in an incident replayed several times on television, Penny verbally confronted Green.

After he struck out Green to end the third inning, Penny walked off the mound -- not toward the dugout, but toward home plate. The two men exchanged words, without contact.

After the game, Penny said Green had tipped the Mets’ hitters off to pitch locations in the first inning, when Green was on second base.

“When you’re doing that and you have a reputation for doing that, people will be watching you,” Penny said.

Green acknowledged that reputation but denied he was tipping the Mets’ hitters in this case.

“People assume every time I’m on second base, I’m relaying signs,” the former Dodger said. “I’ve been wrongly accused of that more times than I’ve been rightly accused.”

Green called that practice “part of the game” and said the Dodgers had engaged in it Tuesday. When they did, he said, Aaron Heilman simply stepped off the mound, and the Mets changed signs.

“That’s the right way to handle it,” Green said. “To accuse a guy is the wrong way to handle it, especially when it wasn’t taking place.”

Penny said he did not consider brushing Green back during that at-bat rather than waiting for a verbal confrontation afterward.

“I didn’t really have a chance,” Penny said. “I had a guy in scoring position and a better hitter [Carlos Beltran] on deck. It would have been nice to have a six-run lead right there.”

bill.shaikin@latimes.com