Orlando Hudson

PHOENIX -- A difficult loss proved even more costly for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Second baseman Orlando Hudson broke his left wrist trying to tag Brian McCann during the sixth inning of the Atlanta Braves' 11-4 victory Saturday night and could be out the rest of the season. Arizona Manager Bob Melvin said Hudson will be re-evaluated today and a decision will be made about whether he needs surgery. "If he has the surgery he's out the rest of the year," Melvin said.

Orlando Hudson said the hot and humid conditions at Wrigley Field on Monday night reminded him of his Darlington, S.C., upbringing. "It was hot. It was hot like South Carolina hot," Hudson said. "It's the kind of weather I'm used to playing in every day at home in South Carolina." The comfort showed as Hudson hit home runs from both sides of the plate, including the first grand slam of his career, and the Arizona Diamondbacks hit a team-record six homers in a 15-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

The Dodgers are on the verge of another bargain-bin addition, agreeing on a one-year deal with three-time Gold Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson on Friday, according to baseball sources. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was pending because Hudson had to take a physical. Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti declined to confirm or deny the agreement. Hudson's agent, Greg Genske, couldn't be reached by phone or e-mail.

The Arizona Diamondbacks' clubhouse was almost silent, the players murmuring among themselves while eating pregame meals. Eric Byrnes looked across the room. Without Orlando Hudson, spring training wasn't quite the same, he said. Certainly not as loud. Byrnes laughed as he recalled the playful barbs he and the Gold Glove second baseman used to exchange for everyone to hear. He said Hudson used to tease him for being "the California surfer dude."

Orlando Hudson said he always used to imagine what it would be like to play in a major market. He said he imagined the cheers. He said he imagined the attention. He said he imagined how "If you sneeze wrong, everything you do is on TV." But he said he never imagined this.

When Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle in the Dodgers' home opener April 13, it was just a prelude to the hot April the second baseman would enjoy. Hudson, obtained by the Dodgers in the off-season mainly for his Gold Glove skills, is the team's hottest hitter despite going 0 for 4 in the Dodgers' loss to the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. The native of Darlington, S.C., now in his eighth major league season, was riding a career-high 11-game hitting streak until Sunday. With a .

Dodgers trainer Stan Conte says he has seen the videos several times, sometimes in slow motion. Each time, Conte says, he is left scratching his head. The videos are of Orlando Hudson playing second base. "I don't know how he does it," Conte said.

Orlando Hudson was packing his bags when he heard someone shout to him from across the Dodgers' clubhouse. The voice belonged to Matt Kemp, who told him to hit a home run. "From both sides," James Loney chimed in. "And make a diving catch." Hudson smiled. That he would receive this kind of send-off as the Dodgers went into the All-Star break was unthinkable to almost everyone in baseball 4 1/2 months ago.

The silence in the Dodgers' dressing quarters was pierced by an expletive. For the second consecutive night, the Dodgers fell to the Atlanta Braves in extra innings at Dodger Stadium, this time by a 2-1 score in 10 innings. The Dodgers, who were nine games up in the National League West as recently as July 25, had their lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants reduced to 5 1/2 games after their ninth loss in 14 games. The last time the Dodgers led by as few games was on May 14. There was more.

Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly said he has noticed that Manny Ramirez has fouled off more pitches down the first base line in recent games -- a sign that he's regaining his timing. "That means he's waiting longer, seeing the ball better," Mattingly said. Ramirez was two for four on Monday and had an RBI double and a two-run homer Tuesday. Mattingly said he was under the impression that Ramirez became overly home run conscious in the 15-game stretch from July 24 to Aug. 8 in which he hit .190.