Dodgers lose series to Giants; make last playoff push

By AL BALDERAS
The Orange County Register

If the Dodgers have one last miracle left in their bag of tricks, they’d better start thinking about cashing it in.

Thanks to two come-from-ahead losses to the San Francisco Giants this past weekend, the Dodgers essentially have backed themselves into a corner and watched their playoff picture grow fuzzier.

Winning three or fewer games in a six-game homestand that begins tonight could add the Dodgers to the list of teams that tried but failed this season.

The Dodgers will play three games against the San Diego Padres, the team that sits atop the National League wild-card race. They’ll follow that up with three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who took a 5 1/2-game lead over the Dodgers into their Monday night game against the Giants.

“Every day we wake up and go to the ballpark at Dodger Stadium is going to be the most important game of the whole season,” Manager Grady Little said. “It’s not the most important three (games) or the most important six. It’s got to be the most important game.”

If only Little had taken that approach during the weekend.

Little made a number of questionable moves in the two weekend losses, replacing starting pitchers with tired or ineffective relief pitchers.

Removing Brad Penny in the eighth inning, after he had thrown just 82 pitches on Sunday, was the most perplexing move of all. Penny didn’t feel like talking after the game and went out the back door of the Dodgers’ clubhouse at AT&T Park. A team official asked him if he would come back to speak with the media but he refused.

Penny has averaged 98 pitches in his 30 starts this season and surpassed 100 pitches on 13 occasions. Little took out Penny after the Giants’ Kevin Frandsen hit a leadoff double in the eighth inning, explaining the move by saying that he didn’t want to leave Penny in a position to lose the game.

Penny went into the game toting a 15-4 record and Cy Young Award consideration so Little’s sudden lack of confidence in him played into the Giants’ hands.

The weekend left the Dodgers in desperation mode. Though they won’t be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention by playing poorly this week, they’ll put themselves in a nearly impossible position.

“I love that the team has a chance,” General Manager Ned Colletti said. “I’m anxious and excited, whether it’s opening day or a game in September. Every game has got the same value to it.”

But not the same pressure.

“Every game is big and we’re in the position now where we can’t give games away,” outfielder Juan Pierre said. “We shot ourselves in the foot in this series and put pressure on ourselves for (this) week.”

The Dodgers’ first test will come in finding a way to beat Padres’ right-handed pitcher Jake Peavy in tonight’s game. Thursday will be the four-year anniversary of the last, and only, time the Dodgers have beaten Peavy.

“If we have a good homestand, it’ll really help us out in making the playoffs,” relief pitcher Joe Beimel said. “If we don’t play well at home, that’s going to put us in a pretty big hole. It’s not going to make it (reaching the playoffs) impossible but pretty improbable.”