Dodgers are sunk by errors of their ways

At one point Jerry Hairston Jr. looked as if he might be the Dodgers’ hero Sunday. That is, until he was the goat.

After Hairston had singled in the go-ahead run, the third baseman’s two throwing errors on similar plays led to a three-run seventh inning that helped lift the San Diego Padres to a 7-2 win over the Dodgers.

“It’s going to happen,” Hairston said. Third base is “probably the toughest position on the field. They don’t call it the hot corner for nothing.”

The Dodgers committed five errors, the most by the club for a game since 1995. The loss meant that the Dodgers lost two of three games to the last-place Padres at Dodger Stadium.

And with San Francisco defeating the Houston Astros, the Dodgers dropped to 11/2 games behind the first-place Giants in the National League West.

San Diego’s win also spoiled a strong, unexpected start by Dodgers pitcher Chris Capuano, who gave up five hits and four unearned runs in 62/3 innings.

The left-hander was pressed into starting a day earlier than scheduled when right-hander Chad Billingsley was scratched because of soreness in his elbow.

“For a guy getting the word at the last moment, I thought he was good,” Manager Don Mattingly said of Capuano (9-5).

Capuano, who had a 1.83 earned-run average at Dodger Stadium this season, pitched much better than in his previous outing a week earlier, when he gave up five earned runs to the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

But his effort Sunday was negated in the seventh inning when, with the Dodgers leading, 2-1, with two out, Cameron Maybin grounded sharply to Hairston, who was playing third base while regular third baseman Juan Uribe played shortstop for the injured Dee Gordon.

Maybin reached safely on Hairston’s wild throw to first base, then Everth Cabrera singled and Capuano walked John Baker to load the bases.

Pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal hit a sharp grounder to Hairston, who made a nice backhanded catch but threw past first baseman James Loney. That enabled Maybin and Cabrera to score, giving San Diego a 3-2 lead.

After reliever Josh Lindblom replaced Capuano, pinch-hitter Alexi Amarista hit another sharp grounder to Hairston. This time Hairston made a good throw but not in time to get the speedy Amarista, and Baker scored.

“Just a tough inning,” Hairston said. The errors resulted in “costing your team, really, the game. But it did and it happens. Just try to rebound tomorrow.”

Lindblom also gave up a home run to Chase Headley in the eighth inning and San Diego scored two unearned runs in the ninth inning against Jamey Wright.

The Dodgers got two runs and six hits against starter Jason Marquis, including Hairston’s single that drove in Loney, who had doubled, to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning.

james.peltz@latimes.com