Dave & Dan Generally Manage Just Fine

There’s more than a pennant at stake at Dodger Stadium the rest of the season.

If the Dodgers can actually do this, if they can hang on to their lead in the National League West, it should bring some much-needed consistency to the general manager job that has been held by four people since 1998. Otherwise we could be looking at yet another news conference to introduce yet another new face.

The Dodgers would love to keep this in-house. They’re happy with the low-key Dave Wallace as interim GM in the wake of Kevin Malone’s firing, and they love the work assistant Dan Evans has put in since they brought him aboard at the end of May.

A successful showing by the boys on the field will give them all the excuse they need.

Wallace and Evans presented their case in the last week.

Exhibit A was the trade of three minor leaguers to the White Sox for starting pitcher James Baldwin.

Exhibits B and C came Tuesday, when the Dodgers sent Mike Fetters and minor league pitcher Adrian Burnside to Pittsburgh for left-handed reliever Terry Mulholland and sent minor league pitcher Kris Foster and catcher Geronimo Gil to Baltimore for right-hander Mike Trombley.

Now that the non-waiver trading deadline has passed, the defense can rest. Or at least pause to catch its breath.

And now the rest of us can get to work on judging them.

Baldwin was a good start, pitching eight solid innings in his first start Sunday.

But Mulholland is a 38-year-old with an injured finger. Trombley has helped Baltimore have a somewhat better-than-expected season, but he’s 34 and was nowhere near as prized as another reliever whose name floated out there, Montreal’s Ugueth Urbina.

Mulholland and Trombley were consolation prizes after the Dodgers couldn’t land reliever Dave Weathers of Milwaukee (the Cubs got him), shortstop Rey Sanchez from Kansas City (Atlanta), or Pittsburgh reliever Mike Williams (Houston).

The argument is that the Dodgers don’t have enough prospects to make competitive bids for those types of players. But Wallace and Evans can’t have it both ways. They can’t claim they inherited a farm system too depleted to make significant trades if they lose, then take all the credit for a roster shaped by Malone if they win.

So it looks as if this will be about Baldwin, whom they managed to pry from the White Sox for three guys they probably won’t regret losing.

The Dodgers said they wouldn’t part with Eric Gagne, Luke Prokopec, Matt Herges, Adrian Beltre or prospects Ben Diggins and Chin-Feng Chen.

“I’m thinking long-term, because I want to do what’s in the best interests of the Dodgers, regardless of my situation,” Evans said. “I think the prudent thing whenever you’re making a move is kind of think big picture.

“You have to look at the micro, short term, the next two months. But at the same time you don’t want to impair your chances in 2002, 2003. Regardless of what my situation is, I owe that to the Dodger organization and to our staff and to our fans, and to the players on the field.

“As far as auditioning, I’m not worried about auditioning, because I came here with the goal of spending four months, doing everything I could to positively impact this ballclub. I’ve only been here for two months so far; I’m looking forward to the next two and maybe more, because I think we have a chance to be a very good ballclub.”

If Wallace sticks around in some general manager capacity instead of roving the minor leagues as was in the original job description when the Dodgers lured him back from the New York Mets, you can expect Evans to come back as well.

Does Wallace want more of this?

In a conversation last week, he said the job had been more “fun” since Evans arrived, and said Tuesday that he enjoys “trying to play the poker game.”

“Dan’s doing the brunt of the work, calling everybody and doing all the particulars,” Wallace said. “He’s the guy that deserves all of the credit. He’s just done a wonderful job staying in touch with all of the teams, then we sit down with [Jim Tracy] and our baseball people and try to do the best thing by the organization.”

After working for the Chicago White Sox for 19 years, Evans quit when he didn’t get their general manager job last fall. He took the Dodger job even though it meant leaving his wife and two kids in Chicago for the summer--but his wife, Susan, encouraged him to make the move.

Since arriving in L.A. he spent seven weeks living in a hotel and doing little else besides working.

“All I know is I wouldn’t want my phone bill,” Evans said. “I’m very happy that the Dodgers are paying my cell phone this month.”

As soon as the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians record their final outs of the season, the pressure will be on to make a run at Billy Beane and John Hart.

But maybe the lesson of this season is it isn’t always about the big names. After the additions of Kevin Brown and Davey Johnson weren’t enough, this year’s squad is making it happen with a bunch of Paul Lo Ducas and Jeff Reboulets, managed by Tracy.

Maybe the Dodgers can prove that they can win with a Dave Wallace and a Dan Evans calling the shots.

If their acquisitions pay off, the “interims” will have made a legitimate bid to keep their jobs.

As long as they can get through those three games at San Diego in September without any incidents.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com.