Dodgers again suffer from production issues in 3-2 loss to Padres
Reporting from San Diego — What happened Thursday afternoon at Petco Park left George Sherrill scratching his shaven head.
There were many, many times this season that Sherrill threw slop and was punished for it. In his eyes and in Manager Joe Torre’s eyes, this wasn’t one of them.
But the outcome was the same.
Sherrill walked off the field with his hat literally in hand, the pitcher of record in the Dodgers’ second loss in three days to the first-place San Diego Padres, this one a 3-2 walk-off loss that moved them seven games back in the National League West.
“I just don’t know how to judge this one,” Sherrill said.
Torre, who said the embattled former All-Star was victimized by misfortune, sounded significantly more concerned about his team’s stagnant offense, which has been held to two or fewer runs in 10 of 14 games since the All-Star break.
“We need to start hitting,” Torre said. “We’re biting and scratching, we’re playing hard but we’re having too many easy innings on the offensive side.”
James Loney hit a solo home run in the second inning. Jamey Carroll scored when Padres left fielder Scott Hairston misplayed a single by Garret Anderson in the fifth inning.
That made up the entire run production for the Dodgers, who had a total of three hits. A series that was supposed to close the gap with the Padres ended with them losing ground.
Was it mentioned yet that the Dodgers will face Tim Lincecum when they open a three-game series in San Francisco on Friday?
“We’re struggling,” Rafael Furcal said. “I think right now, we’re trying to do too much.”
Furcal is without a hit in his last 23 at-bats.
Andre Ethier is hitting .128 since the All-Star break. Casey Blake is hitting .177 this month.
Offense has been so sparse for the Dodgers that Torre sent in Anderson to hit for Padilla with two on and one out in the top of the fifth inning.
Granted, Padilla wasn’t the Padilla of late, as he threw 90 pitches in four innings.
Padilla gave up three hits in the first, including a single to right by Chase Headley that drove in Jerry Hairston Jr. to put the Padres ahead, 1-0.
The Padres took their second lead of the game in the fourth inning, when a double to left-center by Yorvit Torrealba scored Headley from first.
The Dodgers’ bullpen held the Padres scoreless until the ninth. Saving Broxton for a save situation, Torre handed the ball to Sherrill, who started the day with an earned-run average of 6.94.
“The last few times out, I’ve been very comfortable watching him,” Torre said.
Sherrill didn’t allow anyone to reach base in either of his last two appearances. More important, he said he figured out the mechanical issue responsible for his inflated ERA.
“It’s like the 15th different thing I’ve tried to fix,” he said, laughing.
He insisted that the latest problem he identified was the problem: He wasn’t turning his left shoulder as far back as he used to when winding up, resulting in his lower body being off line.
Even so, there was no way to guard against what happened.
Because Blake was guarding the third-base line, he couldn’t get to a ball hit sharply to left by Scott Hairston. Tony Gwynn Jr. put down a sacrifice bunt, moving Scott Hairston to second and setting the stage for pinch-hitter Oscar Salazar’s off-balance, one-handed, run-scoring single.
“I think George is getting very close,” Torre said.
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