Defense Lets Brown Down

CINCINNATI — Kevin Brown is among the few Dodgers who have performed as expected this season.

The right-hander had been dominant in winning his three starts before Tuesday. Of course, Brown can’t do everything.

He had another outstanding outing against the Cincinnati Reds, but the Dodgers let Brown down defensively in the fourth inning of a 3-2 loss before 18,203 at Cinergy Field.

A passed ball and throwing error by catcher Todd Hundley and a poorly played grounder by first baseman Eric Karros contributed to two unearned runs.

Brown (5-3) established a regular-season career high with 12 strikeouts in an eight-inning complete game--his first of the season--but it wasn’t enough to overcome his teammates’ play. The Dodgers (22-22) dropped to .500 while losing for the seventh time in nine games.

Tripp Cromer, filling in for injured second baseman Eric Young, cut the Reds’ lead to 3-2 in the ninth with his second homer--a one-out, solo shot--against reliever Danny Graves.

The Dodgers didn’t get the ball out of the infield in their final two at-bats as Graves earned his sixth save in nailing down the victory for starter Steve Parris (3-0). Parris struck out a career-best nine in seven innings.

Manager Davey Johnson did not conceal his frustration about what occurred in the latest disturbing Dodger performance.

“We have to make those plays,” Johnson said, alluding to the fourth inning errors. “We should have been out of the inning, but we didn’t make the big play, and we gave them a couple of runs.

“I worry about him [Brown’s frustration] and I worry about me. We have to make those plays. We can’t waste a good pitching effort like that.”

They did Tuesday because of sloppy play in the fourth. The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning on Gary Sheffield’s leadoff home run--his 10th homer.

Brown was cruising until he walked Dmitri Young with two out. It appeared the inning ended when Brown struck out Barry Larkin swinging on a split-fingered fastball.

Ah, not so fast.

Larkin reached base on the passed ball by Hundley, who compounded his mistake by throwing the ball away while trying to get Larkin at first, and Young went to third on the error. Larkin then stole second without a throw by Hundley as Brown got a two strikes on Michael Tucker.

Last year, Tucker--then with Atlanta--hit a three-run homer against Brown--then with San Diego--in the Braves’ 7-6 victory in Game 5 of the National League championship series. Tucker began the game batting .545 in the regular season against Brown.

In the fourth inning, Tucker hit a grounder that bounced under the glove of the diving Karros--a play he should have made--and into right field. Young and Larkin scored to give the Reds a 2-1 lead.

“No excuses. It just got away from me,” Hundley said of the passed ball. “Unfortunately, the split-fingered pitch [Brown] threw to Larkin wound up haunting him. And haunting me.”

The runs weren’t earned, but that wasn’t very comforting for Brown.

“There’s nothing to say [about the inning],” Brown said. “That’s what happened in the game and it speaks for itself. It’s frustrating because you want to win every time you step on the field.

“You can’t expect to win day in and day out, but you can expect to play steady baseball. We’re just not playing that way right now. It’s not just one person, it’s a group effort.”

Brown did his part again.

He gave up only five hits in the fourth consecutive start he has allowed one earned run.

The Reds scored their third run in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Mark Lewis and Eddie Taubensee to open the inning.

Typically, Brown worked efficiently. He walked only one while throwing 70 strikes in 109 pitches.

“He was just spectacular,” pitching coach Charlie Hough said. “He was about as good as you could ask him to be. It’s just that you can only be in charge of what you’re supposed to do out there.”

Brown knows.