Dodger Offense Drops Off a Cliff Against Phillies

PHILADELPHIA â€”  The Dodgers said they can’t waste opportunities in a close National League West race.

They wasted many Saturday night in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 3-0 victory at Veterans Stadium.

Substitute starter Cliff Politte (2-2) pitched seven shutout innings for the Phillies, outdueling Dodger starter Kevin Brown (10-4) in an uncharacteristically shaky outing for the all-star right-hander.

Politte gave up only four singles, combining with relievers Vicente Padilla and Jeff Brantley on a six-hitter before 35,189.

Adrian Beltre grounded into a fielder’s choice against Padilla in the eighth with two out and the bases loaded, and the Dodgers (55-48) stranded 11 runners in dropping to 4-2 on the trip.

Padilla, acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Curt Schilling trade, gave up two hits in his Philadelphia debut but escaped the jam. Closer Brantley worked a hitless ninth for his 16th save.

The Phillies (45-57) won for only the third time in 11 games, preventing the Dodgers from gaining in the NL West race after the division-leading Diamondbacks and second-place San Francisco Giants had lost.

The Dodgers remained 2 1/2 games behind Arizona and two behind San Francisco, and they’re still in a good position.

But they said it should have been better.

“You don’t want to miss opportunities like this, you don’t want to miss these types of games,� said catcher Todd Hundley, whose two-out single in the fourth was the Dodgers’ first hit against Politte.

“We just have to be thankful we didn’t lose anything. . . . There’s obviously a ways to go, but we have to get back on track.�

Surprisingly, the Dodgers were derailed with Brown working.

Brown’s starts are the closest thing to a sure thing for the Dodgers, but he was out of sync from the outset.

The Phillies went ahead, 1-0, in the first on Scott Rolen’s groundout as Brown threw 31 pitches. They extended the lead with two runs against Brown in the fifth on Mickey Morandini’s double and Bobby Abreu’s grounder.

Brown gave up six hits and three runs in six innings, his shortest start since May 31 against the New York Mets. He struck out five and walked four, throwing 113 pitches.

“It wasn’t one of Brownie’s better days,� Manager Davey Johnson said. “He threw a lot of pitches, which was uncharacteristic for him.�

Typically, Brown didn’t make excuses.

“I didn’t do the job,� Brown said. “I made a couple of mistakes and it cost us.

“In the first, they just flipped those balls in there. In the fifth inning, I should have made some better pitches.�

Politte had no problems.

He impressed after being recalled Friday from triple-A Scranton because Paul Byrd, scheduled to start Saturday, went on the disabled list after suffering a shoulder injury. Hundley, Alex Cora, Shawn Green and pinch-hitter Chris Donnels had the only hits against him.

Politte matched his career high with seven innings, and struck out six with three walks. He also had his first career extra-base hit--a double to right-center against Brown in the fifth--and scored.

“The guy threw a good game,� left fielder Gary Sheffield said. “We had him on the ropes a couple of times, but he got out of it.�

Of course, it didn’t help that Todd Hollandsworth and Mark Grudzielanek, the 1-2 batters, were hitless in 10 at-bats combined with three strikeouts.

“We’re looking up at people in front of us [in the division], and we have to make the most of our opportunities,� Hollandsworth said. “We didn’t get anything going, but it was just one of those games individually and for the team.

“Every game counts, we all know that. But there’s so much time left, you can’t beat yourself up. You just have to come back [today] and win the series.�

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The Dodgers were shut out Saturday for the seventh time this season:

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Date Opp. Score WP April 24 Mets 1-0 Armando Benitez April 25 Braves 1-0 Tom Glavine June 5 Rangers 2-0 Ryan Glynn June 11 A’s 6-0 Kevin Appier July 8 Mariners 11-0 Aaron Sele July 9 Mariners 2-0 Jamie Moyer July 28 Phillies 2-0 Cliff Politte

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