A Little Boo-Boo for Dodgers

The Dodgers have played with such precision over the last month that even the slightest slip is raising a ruckus.

Boos reverberated through Dodger Stadium on two occasions Sunday afternoon after San Diego Padre home runs in a 3-0 loss that could prove meaningless if the Dodgers maintain their torrid pace of the last 25 days.

The Dodgers are 18-4 in July and, at 57-40, have the third-best record in the major leagues behind the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees after going 7-0-1 in their last eight series.

“Hopefully, our worst days are behind us,” said Dodger left fielder Dave Roberts, who did not play because of a strained neck. “We’ve been playing really good baseball the last few weeks, and if we’re going to have to lose a game, someone’s going to have to beat us.”

The Padres found that someone Sunday in pitcher Adam Eaton, who combined with two relievers on a two-hit shutout that did nothing more than allow San Diego to salvage one victory in a three-game series. The Dodgers have won six of nine games between the teams this season and lead the Padres and San Francisco Giants by 3 1/2 games in the National League West.

Eaton (6-8), who gave up one hit and walked two in seven innings, improved to 6-1 with a 1.96 earned-run average lifetime against the Dodgers, including 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA this season.

“They needed a win, and he stepped up,” Roberts said. “We’ll find a way to figure that puzzle out.”

Cesar Izturis put the Dodgers on the verge of another comeback in the sixth inning after they had fallen behind, 2-0, on Phil Nevin’s solo homer and Humberto Quintero’s run-scoring groundout. With a runner on first and one out, Izturis lined a pitch to right field that appeared to be trouble for the Padres before right fielder Brian Giles made a backhanded catch after a long run.

“That cut the momentum because we were going to have men on second and third with one out, and we probably would have gone on from there,” said the Dodgers’ Adrian Beltre, whose streak of eight consecutive games driving in at least one run came to an end.

After Giles homered to right in the ninth off reliever Tom Martin to make it 3-0 and prompt a second round of boos from the crowd of 46,884, Izturis doubled to right with one out in the bottom of the inning. Izturis became the only Dodger baserunner to reach third when Alex Cora grounded out but was stranded when San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman got Milton Bradley to pop up to second for the final out.

Dodger starter Jeff Weaver (7-10) pitched well enough to win but again was victimized by minimal run support. The right-hander gave up six hits and two runs in seven innings, striking out five and walking one in a performance that he said was a step in the right direction.

“That was the most in control I’ve felt in a long time,” said Weaver, who retired seven of the first eight batters he faced. “I’ve been getting hurt early in the game in the first and second innings, coming out a little too gung-ho, a little amped, and today I made sure to back off a little bit early and kind of get into the swing of things first.”

Noticing that Weaver had started to fall behind in the count against a couple of batters in the seventh, Manager Jim Tracy pulled his starter after the inning, though Weaver later said he could have continued.

Falling behind in the count “happens sometimes; you don’t want to throw balls down the middle,” Weaver said. “I made pitches when I needed to and I still felt good. You just never want to leave the game when you’re down and leave it up to somebody else, but that’s the way it lined up today.”

Eaton, using an effective mix of curveballs and changeups with his fastball, set the Dodgers down in order until Cora singled off diving third baseman Sean Burroughs’ glove with one out in the fourth. Eaton walked two and struck out three.

“He had great stuff today -- good command, threw strikes,” San Diego Manager Bruce Bochy said. “When he’s on, he’s really tough.”

Said Weaver: “That’s why you’ve got to go out there and put up zeroes with him. They just got to me first, and they were able to keep it there.”

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Eaton’s Place

If Adam Eaton could start all his games at Dodger Stadium, he would be a Cy Young candidate. A look at his career numbers at Dodger Stadium compared to his career numbers elsewhere:

*--* Category at DS AOS Starts 7 88 Record 3-0 27-30 ERA 1.26 4.61 H/9IP 5.04 8.89 BB/9IP 3.06 3.33 SO/9IP 6.48 7.04 At DS: at Dodger Stadium AOS: all other stadiums

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