Team Is Passing Chemistry

DENVER —  The Dodgers believe something special is happening in their clubhouse, contributing to one of the team’s best starts since it moved to Los Angeles in 1958.

The suddenly close-knit group is 9-3 after sweeping the San Francisco Giants at SBC Park, starting out 5-1 on a nine-game, 10-day trip that resumes tonight against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

The Dodger clubhouse is a happy place these days.

“It’s pretty special how this club is so together,” said fifth starter Jose Lima, who has helped unify the group through his upbeat outlook. “I wasn’t here in the past, but now they play music here and they’re hugging each other.

“It’s like 25 [guys] in the same space. That’s great to see.”

Catcher Paul Lo Duca agrees.

“There’s a lot of confidence and togetherness in this clubhouse, and I love it,” Lo Duca said. “Whether it’s arrogance or confidence, whatever you want to call it, it’s good right now.”

The Dodgers believe they’re the best in the National League West.

“Look at everybody when we come in after games, even the [three] games that we lost, nobody hangs their heads and nobody is [upset],” backup catcher David Ross said. “Everybody is picking up the slack when somebody else doesn’t do it. It’s a true team effort.”

The Giants said they’re taking the Dodgers seriously this season.

“I was talking to the guys I’m still good friends with ... [Shawn] Green is definitely excited,” said Giant closer Matt Herges, who played for the Dodgers from 1999 to 2001.

“My first question to him was, ‘How’s the clubhouse?’ That’s been the knock on them the last few years. His comment was that it’s a good clubhouse. I definitely see a difference.”

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Lo Duca has struggled in the second half throughout his career, batting .314 before the All-Star break and only .255 after.

He suffered an even bigger drop-off last season, batting .307 and .226, respectively. Manager Jim Tracy acknowledged he used Lo Duca too much, saying he had no choice because Lo Duca was the best right-handed hitter on a team that scored the fewest runs in the majors.

Tracy said in spring training that he would give Lo Duca more time off this season, so baseball’s hottest hitter was not in the lineup for Sunday’s victory over the Giants.

Lo Duca leads the majors in batting at .512, has an 11-game hitting streak and was coming off a four-for-five game in Saturday’s victory, but Tracy held firm on resting Lo Duca, starting Ross.

With the Dodgers off Monday, Lo Duca got a two-day break.

“If we don’t do what’s necessary to give him the opportunity to stay strong, then we run the risk of revisiting what we’ve dealt with in the past,” Tracy said. “It’s two days for one game. You have to try to do some of those things.”

Tracy said the emergence of the improving Ross made it easier to stick with his plan for Lo Duca.

Ross hit his first home run Sunday and threw out a runner attempting to steal.

“David Ross is a little bit of a different guy than he was a couple of years ago,” Tracy said. “The possibility of him hitting the ball out of the ballpark is there, and we’re not sacrificing a whole lot defensively, or behind the plate, with what we do with that pitching staff.”

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ON DECK

Opponent -- Colorado Rockies, three games.

Site -- Coors Field.

TV -- All games on Fox Sports Net 2.

Radio -- KFWB (980), KWKW (1330).

Records -- Dodgers 9-3, Rockies 5-7.

2003 record vs. Rockies -- 12-7.

Tonight, 6 PDT -- Kazuhisa Ishii (2-0, 3.55 ERA) vs. Joe Kennedy (1-0, 3.75).

Wednesday, 6 p.m. -- Hideo Nomo (2-1, 6.75) vs. Scott Elarton (0-2, 12.60).

Thursday, noon -- Odalis Perez (1-1, 3.20) vs. Shawn Estes (2-1, 4.42).

Tickets -- (323) 224-1448.