Dodger Struggles Continue

PHILADELPHIA — As if not wanting to be left out of the collapse that has characterized Dodger baseball over the last week, the defense made a special contribution of its own Thursday night during a 4-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Mike Lieberthal grounded into what looked like a tailor-made double play that should have gotten the Dodgers out of the first inning down by only one run. Instead, the Dodgers broke out their finest Bad News Bears routine while allowing two more runs to score en route to their seventh consecutive defeat.

With the bases loaded, one out and one run already in, Lieberthal hit a sharp grounder that shortstop Jose Hernandez bobbled before flipping to second baseman Alex Cora for a forceout. Realizing there was no play at first, Cora twirled and threw wildly past third baseman Adrian Beltre, allowing Pat Burrell to tack on another run.

“We’ve just gotten beat up,” said catcher Paul Lo Duca, part of a Dodger lineup that was shut out for the second time in six days. “We’re not playing well defensively, we’re not hitting, we’re not pitching, we’re not doing anything right right now. We need to turn it around in Atlanta and turn it around quick.”

The Dodgers, outscored 21-11 over the three-game sweep by Philadelphia and 40-18 over their seven-game losing streak, will try to break out of the funk today against Atlanta ace Russ Ortiz.

Dodger starter Kazuhisa Ishii pitched admirably Thursday, recovering from a shaky first in which he walked two batters to shut down the Phillies for the remainder of his 6 1/3-inning outing with the exception of Chase Utley’s solo homer in the sixth.

But the Dodger offense again struggled to produce in the few clutch situations it generated against Philadelphia’s Brett Myers, who gave up only five hits while recording the second shutout of his career.

Beltre grounded out with runners on first and third to end the fourth, and Shawn Green grounded out in the same scenario to end the eighth. The Nos. 4-8 hitters in the Dodger lineup were a combined 0 for 17.

“Those are the things that are going to have to change for us to get out of this rut that we’re in right now,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “You’ve got some good offensive players right now that are not swinging the bat up to their capability. When that situation starts to compound itself, it becomes difficult.

“The only way to get out is to dig yourself out. You have to reach in there a little bit deeper and figure some things out and get yourself going.”

The Dodgers boarded their charter for Atlanta on Thursday night happy to get out of Philadelphia, where they are 3-13 over the last four seasons. The Dodgers are still percentage points ahead of San Diego atop the National League West standings, though they would be the first to concede that they must start winning soon to maintain that status.

“Maybe we’ll get a little hit here and there, a bleeder that turns it around or something,” Lo Duca said. “We need a little spark.”

And a little defense.