Now Ishii Can’t Find the Plate

Add Kazuhisa Ishii to Jim Colborn’s alarmingly growing to-do list.

The pitching coach has some tweaking to do with another member of the Dodger rotation after Ishii walked a season-high seven batters Friday night during a 2-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds before a sellout crowd of 53,647 at Dodger Stadium.

One night after Hideo Nomo walked three and gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings, Ishii looked as if he might not survive a first inning in which he walked four batters and threw 31 pitches. Ishii actually made it through the fourth inning -- barely -- but not before yielding the only two runs Cincinnati would need in handing the Dodgers their second consecutive loss.

It is the first time the first-place Dodgers suffered back-to-back defeats since the first week of the season.

“Kazuhisa was never on his game tonight, and was never able to rectify it,” said Dodger Manager Jim Tracy, noting that mechanical flaws with Ishii’s delivery contributed to his wildness. “I saw a number of pitches where his body was well in front of his arm and there’s no opportunity for the arm to catch up.”

The Reds got only three hits, but Paul Wilson improved to 5-0 after giving up five hits and one run in seven innings. Reliever Todd Jones pitched a scoreless eighth and closer Danny Graves needed only five pitches to retire the Dodgers in the ninth for his major league-leading 15th save.

Command was again the issue for Ishii (5-2), who has issued 12 walks in his last 10 2/3 innings. Ishii persevered through a wacky first in which he walked four batters without giving up a run. The left-hander walked the bases loaded after Ryan Freel drew a leadoff walk but was erased on a double play.

Ishii’s 30th pitch of the inning, to D’Angelo Jimenez, whizzed over catcher Paul Lo Duca’s head but bounced back to home plate off the backstop, preventing Jason LaRue from scoring from third. Jimenez popped out to first baseman Robin Ventura on the next pitch to end the inning.

“I don’t think you’ll see too many times when you’ll walk four guys in an inning and the opponent doesn’t score against you,” Tracy said.

Cincinnati loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth on Adam Dunn’s leadoff single and walks to LaRue and Jimenez. Colborn’s second visit to the mound did little to calm Ishii, who walked Wily Mo Pena to bring home Dunn with the Reds’ first run. Tim Hummel made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to deep center before Ishii got the final two outs.

That was it for Ishii, who gave up only two hits but threw only 39 of his 82 pitches for strikes. Brian Falkenborg entered in the top of the fifth and shut down Cincinnati over the next 2 1/3 innings before Tom Martin and Guillermo Mota held the Reds in check the rest of the way.

“I was just rushing my pitches today,” Ishii said through an interpreter. “I tried to adjust and stay back, but I wasn’t able to do it. All I can do is try to correct it for my next start.”

The Dodgers made it 2-1 in the sixth when Jason Grabowski doubled and scored on Cesar Izturis’ single up the middle. Adrian Beltre struck out to strand Izturis at third.

Beltre went 0 for 4 and had his 16-game hitting streak end.