Lightning in Texas but no thunder from Dodgers in loss

The Dodgers went two for nine with runners in scoring position.

Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda had a rough day, as he was charged with five runs (four earned) and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

That he was pitching in a climate familiar to him didn't seem to help.

"The heat reminded me of Hiroshima," he said, recalling the city he called home in Japan.

A third-inning grounder by Omar Vizquel went through Loney's legs, allowing Taylor Teagarden to score from second. Vizquel stole second and scored on a single by Michael Young to double the Rangers' lead to 2-0.

Kuroda unraveled in the sixth, which he started by serving up a home run to Hank Blalock. Upon giving up back-to-back hits to David Murphy and Byrd, he was pulled from the game. Murphy and Byrd were driven in on a double by Teagarden off of reliever Brent Leach.

The way the game unfolded didn't dissuade Torre from saying that the Dodgers' fortune was bound to change in the near future.

"One of these days, it'll happen to fall into place because we're a much better offensive club than this," he said.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com