Los Angeles – The calendar promises cruelty. When late August arrives, hope often exits, the season lost in the grind of baseball’s canine stretch.
But as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Rockies limp toward the finish line, they get more unpredictable and fascinating by the day.
Just when a Tuesday at Dodger Stadium promised nothing beyond a warm evening and nondescript Los Angeles 8-3 victory, Milton Bradley opened his mouth and Marcos Carvajal failed to close out the eighth inning.
In front of the Dodgers’ dugout, a phalanx of reporters surrounding him, the center fielder ripped teammate Jeff Kent for the way he deals with African-American players and criticized his leadership. To illustrate his point, Bradley cited – among other examples – Kent’s refusal to slap high-fives after a win last weekend in Florida.
“When the game’s over and we walk through the line and you pull your (hand back), how mature is that?” Bradley said, before adding he has no problem being on the same team as Kent.
The Rockies’ problems are less about getting along than getting well. A season soaked with injuries grew more sickening when Carvajal exited with a strained right shoulder. Carvajal hadn’t worked in nine days when he walked off the mound in pain after his 17th pitch.
“It had nothing to do with that,” manager Clint Hurdle explained. “He felt strong.”
Carvajal, who has a 4.71 ERA, said his recent activity was not related to his injury.
“There no problems from (not pitching). I just felt something different on that pitch,” Carvajal said. “The doctor said it should be fine.”
Carvajal has developed into a key figure in the team’s youth movement. At 21, he is the second-youngest player in the majors, the type of arm Hurdle said two months ago “that we are used to seeing in other organizations.” Carvajal plans to play winter ball in Venezuela, working as a starter.
Carvajal joined teammate Luis Gonzalez in the trainer’s room. Gonzalez left with a bruised right index finger after getting hit by a pitch from Jeff Weaver.
“The X-rays showed it wasn’t broken. It hit off my shoulder then hit my finger,” Gonzalez said. “I should only miss a couple of days.”
Weaver worked at least six innings for the 17th consecutive start.
Clubhouse relations, not the playoff races, however, upstaged the victory.
“It has been a frustrating season for all of us and our fans, as we have dealt with plenty of adversity,” wrote Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta in a club statement. “We have a talented team of passionate players who take their performance, as well as the team’s performance, personally. Under the circumstances, it is not unusual for players’ emotions to run high. However, if and when any issue arises that runs contrary to the goals and values of the organization, there should be no question that we address it.”
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
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Gonzalez injured after getting hit bt Weaver
Injuries don’t play favorites, though the Rockies would argue that point. Luis Gonzalez left before his fifth-inning at-bat after getting hit in the right index finger with a pitch by Dodgers starter Jeff Weaver.
Weaver hit Gonzalez and Danny Ardoin in the first three innings, giving him a league-high 13 plunks for the season. For Gonzalez, the timing is awful, coming three weeks after he was given the starting second-base job.
REHAB UPDATE: Clint Barmes went 1-for-3 for Double-A Tulsa in his first game since June 5. Blaine Neal started and allowed one run on a homer by Rick Ankiel. Outfielder Brad Hawpe was scratched because of a soggy field in Colorado Springs.
HERRION DEATH HITS HOME: News of offensive lineman Thomas Herrion’s death Saturday hit close to home for Rockies infielder Aaron Miles. His best friend, Jeremy Newberry, is the starting center for the San Francisco 49ers. “Jeremy is the leader of that group. It’s got to be hard on him,” Miles said. “It just reminds you how fragile life is.”
START HIM UP: Marcos Carvajal, who left Tuesday’s game with an undisclosed injury, plans to play winter ball in Venezuela. “I will start over there. That’s what I did in the minor leagues,” he said.
