Andre Ethier continues streak as Dodgers lose, 6-3, to New York Mets

Reporting from New York

Facing a pack of fawning reporters in front of his locker, Andre Ethier received a series of compliments disguised as questions. He offered his thoughts on his hitting streak, which on Friday reached 30 games, one short of Willie Davis’ all-time franchise record.

But the rest of the clubhouse was silent.

The Dodgers lost again, this time 6-3 to the New York Mets at Citi Field.

They also lost closer Jonathan Broxton, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a bruised elbow.

This confluence of individual triumph and collective defeat has created a somewhat awkward dynamic in the Dodgers’ clubhouse.

“It’s been a tough stretch, especially the last seven, eight games here,” Ethier said. “I’m standing here, whether it’s a win or loss. There were a couple games at home where I had a hit, we scored two runs and that one hit had nothing to do with the outcome. It’s tough to sit here and be too excited about it.”

The Dodgers have dropped five of their last six games and are now three games under .500.

“We have to start figuring out how to get things going here,” said Ethier, who was three for five.

Asked whether he knew how that could be done, he replied, “If I had the answer, I’d be shouting it out in this room right now.”

What has become clear over the last month is that the once-moody Ethier is ready to embrace stardom.

Day after day, he answers the same questions. His responses are thoughtful, sometimes even humorous.

On Friday, he was met at his locker before the game by a group of more than 20 reporters.

Whereas the superstitious nature of some players might make them reluctant to talk about a hitting streak, Ethier openly discussed his.

If he has a superstition, he said, it’s to not be superstitious.

“I change my socks,” he said. “I use four bats, three different models in a game. I eat something different every day.”

He joked about never having heard of Zack Wheat, who had a 29-game hitting streak in 1916, which was previously the second-longest in franchise history.

“Somebody asked me who Zack Wheat was and I thought it was another minor leaguer we had,” he said. “I thought they were calling him up or something.”

When asked about the significance of his hitting streak, Ethier smiled and said it could one day be the answer to a trivia question Vin Scully asks on Dodger telecasts.

Ethier was held out of a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday because of a sore elbow and the Dodgers had a day off on Thursday, but the break didn’t hurt him.

He extended his hitting streak in the first inning, as he singled off Jon Niese to right-center and moved Jerry Sands to third base. Sands scored on a hit by Matt Kemp to put the Dodgers ahead, 1-0.

Ethier’s second hit contributed to another run, this one which helped them regain the lead at 3-2 in the fifth inning.

But the Mets took control of the game in the sixth inning. With Carlos Beltran on second base and first base open, Hiroki Kuroda was instructed to intentionally walk Ike Davis, who hit a home run in the second inning. The next batter, Jason Pridie, hit a home run.

The Dodgers were down, 5-3.

The end result was predictable. Late comebacks are not something for which the Dodgers are known.

The Dodgers are now 1-16 when trailing after six innings and 0-14 when trailing after seven.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com