DODGERS REPORT : Millwood Shuts Down Dodgers, 7-3, as Dreifort Has Another Bad Inning

The Dodgers tried to act as if everything was back to normal Friday night at Dodger Stadium, downplaying the outburst by right fielder Raul Mondesi earlier in the week.

And sure enough, everything was back to normal. A Dodger team that had won five of its last six on the road returned to its losing ways upon returning home, falling to the Atlanta Braves, 7-3, in front of 40,363.

Atlanta was led by third baseman Chipper Jones’ two home runs, his 30th and 31st of the year, and a strong pitching performance by Kevin Millwood, who went eight innings, giving up three hits and one earned run, in increasing his record to 13-7. Millwood struck out nine and walked four.

“Millwood just pitched a very good game,” Dodger Manager Davey Johnson said. “He kept us off balance. The kid can just really pitch.”

The home runs gave Jones 17 in his last 36 games. It also marked the 38th consecutive game Jones has reached base, extending his team record.

Darren Dreifort took the loss, getting bombed for seven runs on 11 hits in six innings plus to fall to 9-12.

“He made some pretty good pitches they hit pretty hard,” Johnson said of his right-hander. “He always seems to have that [bad] inning. He does good, then loses it, then does good again.”

Friday’s bad inning was the Braves’ fourth when Dreifort gave up three hits, a sacrifice bunt then two more hits, Atlanta scoring four times in the inning to break the game open.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre hit his 13th homer for the Dodgers, his third in his last four games.

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When he left, second baseman Eric Young was at the center of a controversy of his own. When he returned, he remained on the fringe of the newest storm to blow through the Dodger clubhouse, glad to be in calm waters for a change.

Out 18 games because of a left ankle sprain, Young played three games with Class-A San Bernardino on a rehab assignment before being reinstated by the Dodgers before Friday’s game.

Johnson had benched Young before the Dodgers put the second baseman on the disabled list and Young felt he was not being treated fairly.

But he was all smiles when he saw his name at the top of the lineup card and he responded with a single and two walks in four trips to the plate along with a stolen base.

It was Young’s 35th stolen base, which still leads the team.

“Maybe I judged him too harshly,” Johnson said of Young.

“I don’t have any animosity toward Davey,” Young said. “ I hope he doesn’t have any toward me.”

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The Dodgers optioned right-hander Matt Herges to triple-A Albuquerque to make room for Young. Herges had a 3.86 earned-run average with no decisions in four appearances.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’ KEVIN BROWN (13-6, 3.26 ERA) vs. BRAVES’ JOHN SMOLTZ (8-5, 3.51 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 7

TV--Fox Sports West 2. Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

* Update--Where would the Dodgers be without Kevin Brown? Strong offense or weak, controversy or calm, they can expect a consistent performance out of Brown. He has gotten even stronger as the season has worn on, going 3-0 in his last four starts with a 1.14 earned-run average. Smoltz is 15-11 against the Dodgers lifetime with a 2.80 ERA.