Dodgers make pennant race interesting at the end

Isn't this interesting, the Dodgers losing for the third time in five games and the Arizona Diamondbacks, last seen careening toward oblivion, suddenly looming large in the Dodgers' rearview mirror after winning six of seven games.

If the Dodgers needed a reminder of how quickly leads can vanish and command can crumble, their 11-inning, 1-0 loss Sunday to the San Francisco Giants drove that home.

"This was a tough loss," a subdued Joe Torre said after the Dodgers' National League West lead had shriveled to 2 1/2 games, their smallest margin since Sept. 9.

They were on an upward swing then, on the way to a 4 1/2 -game cushion they owned for four days.

After splitting the final two games at Pittsburgh and losing two of three to the Giants at home, the Dodgers' main concern is maintaining their lead, not extending it.

"Everyone in here has been around the game long enough to know how important these games are, but nobody's panicking," third baseman Casey Blake said.

"We're in the driver's seat right now. These guys are playing good too. You've got to give them credit. They're not just going to roll over for us."

There are many reasons to believe the Dodgers won't blow this, that Manny Ramirez's bat and their starting pitching will keep them afloat. Derek Lowe did his part admirably Sunday with a five-hit, seven-strikeout gem over seven innings, but four Giants pitchers matched his effort and raised it a notch.

The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the first and fifth innings and stranded eight runners in the first six innings before going down in order 16 times in a row. Six of those were strikeouts.

"They're not going to give it to us that easy," Ramirez said. "You can't take anyone for granted."

The Dodgers uttered their last peep on Blake DeWitt's two-out single in the sixth. That was silenced by Nate Schierholtz's fine catch of Angel Berroa's line drive to sun-drenched right field, one of three superb defensive plays Sunday by Giants outfielders.

A few weeks ago, when the Dodgers could do no wrong, those drives probably would have fallen in.

"We were just finding the wrong places," first baseman James Loney said.

Their batting famine included swinging strikeouts by Ramirez to lead off the eighth and 11th innings. Ramirez, Loney and Blake -- the third, fourth and fifth batters in the order -- were a combined 0 for 12 Sunday.