Dodgers are out of their league on road

By Ben Bolch

June 19, 2007 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

TORONTO —

It started two years ago in the modern mecca of baseball futility, with an unexpected twist.

The Kansas City Royals, 20 1/2 games behind in the American League Central in the middle of June, swept the contending Dodgers in a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. Maybe the Dodgers should have figured something sinister was afoot when Jose Lima won the second game in the series -- his first victory in 14 starts.

From there the Dodgers headed to Chicago, where usually dependable relievers Yhency Brazoban and Duaner Sanchez blew a pair of late leads and the White Sox chalked up another three-game sweep for the AL.

Even a return to Southern California provided no solace for the Dodgers, who were swept by the Angels a week later at Angel Stadium.

And on it went.

Tonight the Dodgers open a series against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre having lost 20 of their last 21 interleague games on the road while being outscored, 123-42. How could a team that has been a relatively respectable 11-10 against AL teams at home since 2005 have stumbled so dramatically on the road?

“I’ll leave those theories up to you guys,” Dodgers Manager Grady Little, who inherited a nine-game interleague road losing streak from predecessor Jim Tracy, said tersely when asked whether he had any ideas.

OK, what about the heavy-hitter theory? It suggests that the team piling up the most hits usually wins. The AL teams have batted .280 against Dodgers pitching during their 21-game romp, compared with the Dodgers’ .226 average.

The difference is even more pronounced among the designated hitters. The Dodgers’ designated hitters have batted .177 during the skid as opposed to a .293 average for their AL counterparts.

The Dodgers would figure to benefit from adding Olmedo Saenz or another potent bat -- they’ve also used Russell Martin and J.D. Drew as the designated hitter in recent years -- to their lineup, but it hasn’t added much pop. Saenz, who started 12 of the 21 games at designated hitter for the Dodgers, has batted .178, well below his .266 career average.

“When you go into an American League park as a National League team, you can add a bat, but it’s not the same as the American League team getting back to their lineup and getting back to their thing,” said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, whose team has handed the Dodgers eight of the 21 defeats.

Saenz said he didn’t think the AL teams necessarily had an advantage because the DH was a regular part of their lineup.

“Obviously, they do it every day on a normal basis, but I don’t think it makes any difference,” he said. “I think it’s even for both leagues. You’ve got to do the same thing that they do.”

The Dodgers’ meltdowns in AL parks have extended beyond their offense.

After Jeff Weaver retired the first 14 batters during a 2005 game against the Angels, shortstop Antonio Perez lost a popup in the twilight, paving the way for two runs to score in an eventual 7-0 loss.

Then there was the time Dodgers starter Odalis Perez acknowledged not making a full effort to field Justin Morneau’s ground ball up the middle last June against the Minnesota Twins. The next batter, Torii Hunter, hit a grand slam to propel the Twins to a 6-3 victory.

More recently, the Dodgers lost to the Angels last month after Derek Lowe pitched a complete game and Erick Aybar bowled over Martin at home plate, serving as the perfect snapshot for the Dodgers’ interleague road ills.

Are the Dodgers even aware of how ridiculous all this seems?

Oh, yes.

“You’re the fourth person to ask me that question in the last two minutes,” right fielder Andre Ethier said Sunday afternoon. “We’re as conscious as you guys make [us].

“It’s unfortunate that we give you guys an extra statistic to put together. We’ve just got to win those games and play well. If we want to be in the World Series, we’re going to have to beat an American League team and find a way. That’s the bottom line.”

Ethier played a big part in the Dodgers’ only victory over an AL team during this stretch, hitting a two-run homer against Bartolo Colon and finishing a triple short of the cycle last June 30 in a 6-1 triumph over the Angels. Brad Penny was the winning pitcher that night, giving up seven hits and one run in seven innings.

And as the Dodgers look to reverse their run of failures, they’ll again turn to Penny tonight against the Blue Jays.

“He’s kind of been our stopper if there’s ever been any bleeding to the team,” left fielder Luis Gonzalez said. “He’s a guy that runs out there and pretty much holds the other team down and gets us back on track.”

Which is exactly what the Dodgers need after derailing so many times.

ben.bolch@latimes.com

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Going bust on 21

The Dodgers have lost 20 of their last 21 interleague road games dating to 2005. A look at those 21 games with results, designated hitters, winning and losing pitchers:

Date; Opponent; Result; Dodgers’ DH; Opponents’ DH; Winning pitcher; Losing pitcher

May 20, 2007; Angels; L 4-1; Saenz 0-4; Guerrero 2-4; Escobar; Lowe

May 19, 2007; Angels; L 6-2; Martin 0-4; Hillenbrand 1-4; Jered Weaver; Hendrickson

May 18, 2007; Angels; L 9-1; Saenz 0-4; Hillenbrand 2-3; Santana; Penny

July 2, 2006; Angels; L 4-0; Lofton 1-4; Guerrero 1-3; Lackey; Billingsley

July 1, 2006; Angels; L 9-2; Lofton 1-3; Salmon 0-4; Escobar; Hendrickson

June 30, 2006; Angels; W 6-1; Drew 1-4; Rivera 1-4; Penny; Colon

June 28, 2006; Minnesota; L 6-3; Martin 0-4; Mauer 2-3; Santana; Perez

June 27, 2006; Minnesota; L 9-2; Saenz 0-4; Sierra 0-3; Liriano; Lowe

June 26, 2006; Minnesota; L 8-2; Drew 1-4; Tiffee 1-3; Silva; Billingsley

June 18, 2006; Oakland; L 5-2; Drew 1-4; Chavez 0-4; Blanton; Sele

June 17, 2006; Oakland; L 5-4 (17); Drew 0-3; Melhuse 0-6; Karsay; Seo