Dodgers fall apart in the ninth inning

Everything about the Dodgers these days is epic, including their implosions.

A team that had won its previous two games on walk-off hits suffered a rare meltdown in the ninth inning Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, its relievers and its defense faltering late in a 3-0 loss to the New York Yankees.

Dodgers left-hander Paco Rodriguez allowed the game’s first run on a two-out single by pinch-hitter Lyle Overbay, a prelude to a far bigger indignity. Second baseman Mark Ellis and right fielder Yasiel Puig converged on Jayson Nix’s pop fly ball to right field, with Ellis seeming to have a bead on the ball until it bounced off his glove at the last moment.

BOX SCORE: New York Yankees 3, Dodgers 0

“It was just a popup in a weird spot,” said Ellis, adding that Puig had called for the ball too late for Ellis to get out of his way. “I just dropped the ball. There’s nothing else to say.”

Two runs scored on a play that induced groans from another celebrity-infused sellout crowd that included Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

Bestowed with a three-run lead, the Yankees summoned closer Mariano Rivera for what was probably his final appearance at the storied ballpark. Rivera reeled in the Dodgers a few hours after they had presented him with customized deep sea fishing gear as a retirement gift, recording a one-two-three inning for his 34th save.

The Dodgers wasted eight scoreless innings from Clayton Kershaw while losing for only the second time in 12 games since the All-Star break, their lead over second-place Arizona falling to 21/2 games in the National League West.

The Dodgers’ ninth-inning trouble started when Ronald Belisario walked Derek Jeter to lead off the inning. Robinson Cano grounded into what might have been a double play had shortstop Hanley Ramirez been able to get the ball cleanly out of his glove. Instead, he was able to retire only pinch-runner Eduardo Nunez at second base.

Belisario retired Alfonso Soriano on a groundout before intentionally walking Ichiro Suzuki to put runners on first and second with two out. In came Rodriguez, who quickly got ahead of Overbay 0-and-2. Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly was ejected over third base umpire Bill Miller’s refusal to call another strike on a subsequent checked swing.

“I figured he missed one or missed two,” Mattingly said, “because it was the exact same swing.”

Overbay ripped the next pitch to center field for a single, bringing Nix to the plate.

Kershaw gave up only five hits and did not allow a walk for a third consecutive start, spanning 23 innings.

His efficiency was nearly matched by Yankees counterpart Hiroki Kuroda, who held his former team scoreless for seven innings thanks in part to a huge assist from Adrian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez was easily thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double with nobody out in the seventh inning. The blunder proved particularly costly after Andre Ethier and A.J. Ellis hit back-to-back two-out singles before Skip Schumaker struck out chasing a full-count pitch to end the inning.

“We let him down offensively tonight,” A.J. Ellis said of Kershaw.

The Dodgers’ recent success was one reason the team was relatively quiet at the nonwaiver trade deadline, acquiring minor league catcher Drew Butera from the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named or cash.

“Obviously, I think it tells you a lot about how we feel about our club,” Mattingly said of the lack of an impact trade.

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Twitter: @latbbolch

Times staff writer Stephen Bailey contributed to this report.