Dodgers’ leaky ‘pen leaves another messy mark in 4-3 loss to Braves
The Dodgers had finally caught a break, a throwing error by the opposing third baseman that handed them a two-run lead in the eighth inning.
Chad Billingsley had pitched seven magnificent innings. Andre Ethier had made a leaping catch at the right-field wall that turned a potential extra-base hit by Jason Heyward hit into a sacrifice fly.
But, somehow, the Dodgers lost. Again.
New closer Hong-Chih Kuo loaded the bases in the ninth inning to set up an implosion by recently acquired Octavio Dotel, who walked in a run and served up a two-run, walk-off single to Melky Cabrera that sent the Dodgers crashing to a 4-3 defeat against the Atlanta Braves.
The loss Monday night at Turner Field concluded a 2-5 trip that left the Dodgers 11 games behind first-place San Diego in the National League West and seven back of wild-card co-leaders San Francisco and Philadelphia.
Forty-three games remain in the regular season.
About the only positive news for the Dodgers was the signing of first-round draft pick Zach Lee to a $5.25-million deal that convinced the two-sport star to turn down the chance to play football at Louisiana State.
Manager Joe Torre, who had refrained from describing any game or series as “must-win,” said the term was applicable to the six-game homestand against Colorado and Cincinnati that starts Tuesday.
“This next homestand is going to be extremely important for us because we’ve had success at home and we need to get something going to get us back in a good frame of mind,” Torre said.
Pointing to how few games remained, Ethier said the offense had to start producing. Ethier’s double in the first inning, which drove in Ryan Theriot, was the Dodgers’ only run-scoring hit of the four-game series.
The Dodgers were 0 for 7 with men in scoring position Monday, 0 for 23 in the series.
“It’s just bearing down,” Ethier said. “It’s frustrating knowing that you had a major hand in the game and you didn’t execute.”
The Dodgers went into the eighth inning tied, 1-1. Reed Johnson led off and reached base on an infield single, and Scott Podsednik walked. That’s when Theriot hit a chopper to third base that Brooks Conrad collected and threw past first baseman Troy Glaus. Johnson and Podsednik scored.
Kuo, who replaced Jonathan Broxton as the Dodgers’ closer on Friday, was called on to attempt a two-inning save. The eighth inning presented no problems, as he retired the side 1-2-3 in seven pitches.
But Alex Gonzalez and Brian McCann singled to start the ninth and advanced on a wild pitch. Kuo got Glaus to foul out to James Loney, but walked Conrad to load the bases. “I didn’t get the job done,” Kuo said.
Dotel didn’t either, walking David Ross to force in a run, then serving up a single that skipped by diving shortstop Jamey Carroll into left field. The game was over, and the Dodgers had to fly back to Los Angeles.
Asked if he was exempt from the alcohol ban on team flights, Torre laughed.
“That doesn’t soothe my soul, trust me,” he said.
dylan.hernandez@latimes.com
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