Dodger Bats Remain Quiet, Team Loses Another

Updated 6:07 AM PST, Mon, Jun 29, 2009

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This is why it is good for the Dodgers they built up a huge lead in the National League West – because there are going to be weeks like this.

The Dodgers lost Sunday to the Seattle Mariners and have now dropped four of their last five games. But they still have the best record in baseball and a seven game lead in the division.

"When you have a 162-game season, you're going to go through some (rough) spots," manager Joe Torre said. "We've lost four our of five, and that is something pretty unusual for us."

The Dodgers (48-27) were held to one hit until Matt Kemp led off the fifth with a homer. Four batters later, Andre Ethier hit a sacrifice fly.

Kemp's homer was the only time in the last two games that the Dodgers had a batter reach to start an inning.

This was an emotional game for the Mariners, knowing they face the next couple of months without injured third baseman Adrian Beltre, a former Dodger.

"It's a big blow that we're losing him for a period of time, but hopefully we can keep it going and have some fun until he gets back," said Ken Griffey Jr. "Back in 1995, I was out for 70-something games, but we were still able to have a little fun at the end of the year."

Beltre singled in a run and Jose Lopez hit a two run double for the Mariners, whose final two stops on their nine-game road trip are Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. But they'll be without Beltre, who is expected to miss six to eight weeks after having bone spurs removed from his left shoulder.

Beltre played the final two games of this three-game series after deciding to have surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. He hit 2 for 9 and had six assists, including an exceptional play in the hole to rob Russell Martin in the fourth inning Sunday.

"Here's a guy that played in a lot of pain, didn't have to play and didn't need to play today," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "We had talked about last night being his last game, but he came in and said: 'I'm not having surgery until Tuesday, so I'm going to give you one more. I want to be with my teammates and I want to gut it out.' He's such a special player and brings so much to our club, so that win today is for him."