It’s No Way to Turn It Around

HOUSTON —  Jim Tracy’s stomach churned. It was Wunsch time and the cupboard was bare.

Dodger rookie D.J. Houlton had outdueled Houston Astro legend Roger Clemens, but with two out and one on in the seventh inning and the Dodgers clinging to a one-run lead, slugger Lance Berkman came to the plate.

On 45 similar occasions, Tracy had summoned left-handed reliever Kelly Wunsch, who would have turned around the switch-hitting Berkman to his less productive side. But because Wunsch had injured a tendon in his right ankle in a freak bullpen mishap a day earlier, right-handed Duaner Sanchez was called upon instead.

Berkman tripled and the Astros went on to win, 3-2, on Morgan Ensberg’s run-scoring double in the ninth, delighting an announced 36,176 at Minute Maid Park on Friday night.

Gone to waste was Houlton’s Houdini impersonation against the team that gave up on him last fall. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded, none out jam in the first -- giving up just one run on a sacrifice fly -- and stranded two runners in the third and fifth innings.

Made insignificant was Jeff Kent’s 2,000th career hit, a line drive up the middle off Clemens that drove in the second Dodger run. It was the 60th RBI of the season for Kent, who left in the eighth inning because of a tender hamstring.

Tracy, though, would not lament missing Wunsch, who will have surgery and is lost for the season. The Dodgers (40-46) have had so many injuries -- nine players are on the disabled list -- they have become numb to them.

“Obviously Berkman is a better hitter left-handed than right-handed,” Tracy said, shrugging. “But [Wunsch] is out for the year.”

The Dodgers also have so many holes -- in the batting order and on defense -- that stepping in one is inevitable. This time it was the shaky glove of first baseman Hee-Seop Choi and a slight hesitation by pitcher Yhency Brazoban before he covered the bag that set the table for the Astros in the ninth.

Speedy Willy Taveras hit a chopper that Choi bobbled before tossing to Brazoban (2-3), who didn’t get to the bag in time. It was ruled a hit, although Tracy said the out could have been recorded had Choi fielded the ball cleanly.

Craig Biggio bunted Taveras to second, and after an intentional walk to Berkman -- who was three for three -- Ensberg doubled to right-center field.

“When you are playing with one run against a good hitting team in a ballpark they like to play in, it’s very dangerous,” said Kent, who played for the Astros the last two seasons.

The Dodgers qualified as dangerous only in the fifth, when they had four hits against Clemens. Jason Grabowski rolled a single up the middle and Mike Edwards doubled down the right-field line with none out. Oscar Robles, who had a nine-game hitting streak end, brought in Grabowski with a groundout, and after Jason Repko’s infield single, Kent delivered.

“We couldn’t score any more runs, and it’s too bad because D.J. threw great,” catcher Jason Phillips said.

Houlton continued to play Texas hold ‘em until exiting after walking Craig Biggio with two out in the seventh. The Astros (42-43) might regret leaving him unprotected last fall, which enabled the Dodgers to take him in the Rule 5 draft.

“I was more fired up than usual,” he said. “I just wanted to pitch well here.”

But with injuries mounting at a ridiculous pace, Tracy was simply glad Houlton didn’t hurt himself eating a postgame meal. In fact, he isn’t taking any chances.

“I’ve taken the cutlery out of the food room and replaced it with plastic,” he said.