ANOTHER LOWE POINT PITCHER GETS NO SUPPORT IN DEFEAT COLORADO 2, DODGERS 0.

Byline: TONY JACKSON 

Staff Writer

In a game that provided the perfectly appropriate sendoff to Derek Lowe's snakebitten season, the veteran right-hander spent one inning struggling and six others dominating. He then spent the rest of the evening wondering why, as usual, it just wasn't good enough.

The Dodgers lost to Colorado for the fifth time in the past eight days, this time 2-0 in front of 45,036 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, and all those defeats have come during what for the Rockies is now a franchise-record 10-game winning streak. This one came at the hands of middling right-hander Josh Fogg, the latest in a long line of less-than-overpowering pitchers to take advantage this season of the Dodgers' underachieving offense.

Playing without second baseman Jeff Kent, who injured his knee on an awkward slide into home plate on Tuesday night, and catcher Russell Martin, whom manager Grady Little finally feels justified in resting now that the Dodgers have nothing of substance left to play for, the Dodgers and their futuristic lineup were putty in the hands of Fogg.

Specifically, Fogg's right hand, which he used to shut out the Dodgers for 62/3 innings despite giving up five hits and walking three consecutive batters in the sixth. The Dodgers, as they always seem to be whenever Lowe takes the mound, were only too accommodating, going hitless in their only four at-bats with runners in scoring position.

The Dodgers wasted a leadoff double by Andre Ethier in the fifth. Chad Moeller, making his first start behind the plate for the Dodgers, hit a slow roller toward shortstop, and it looked like Moeller had a shot to beat it out. At first, Ethier wisely chose to freeze on the play. But then, for some reason, just as Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki charged the ball, Ethier broke for third and briefly made contact with Tulowitzki in the baseline.

Tulowitzki threw Ethier out at third, but that was just overkill. Ethier already had been called out for interference.

An inning later, after Fogg had walked the bases loaded with two outs, Ethier struck out to end the sixth. And from there, it was clear Lowe's final start of the season wouldn't end any other way but in a typical, hard-luck loss.

Assuming Lowe doesn't make another appearance out of the bullpen in the season finale on Sunday against last-place San Francisco, the sinkerballer will finish the season 12-14 despite a 3.88 ERA.

Lowe also pitched 1991/3 innings this year, leaving him agonizingly short of the 200 plateau that he had reached in four of the previous five seasons.

The Dodgers, who were officially eliminated from any shot at the playoffs the night before, now have lost nine of 10, further jeopardizing their chance at a winning season. The club must win at least two of its final four games to finish above .500. The Dodgers remained eight games behind division-leading Arizona in the NL West.

The Rockies, whose winning streak still hasn't put them into the wild- card lead, roughed up Lowe for two runs in the fourth inning, when Yorvit Torrealba doubled up the leftfield line with one out and Kazuo Matsui, Tulowitzki and likely NL MVP Matt Holliday all singled with two outs, giving Colorado a 2-0 lead.

Other than that, Lowe faced the minimum in every inning. He allowed only one other baserunner, on an infield single by Todd Helton to begin the second, but that was quickly erased when Brad Hawpe lined into a double play.

Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito also faced the minimum in their respective innings, the eighth and ninth, meaning the Rockies sent a total of 24 batters to the plate in the eight innings in which they didn't score.

Fogg (10-9), who entered this start with a 4.99 ERA and an opponents' batting average of .292, pumped his fist as he walked off the mound after striking out Ethier to escape the sixth inning. In a way, the gesture was symbolic for a Rockies team that seemingly can do no wrong -- but a club that still can't seem to catch wild-card leading San Diego.

Manny Corpas pitched the ninth for his 18th save, four of which have come against the Dodgers in the past nine days, during which Colorado has won all six head-to-head meetings between the clubs to assure itself of finishing ahead of the Dodgers for the first time ever.

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DODGERS

TODAY

Dodgers (Loaiza 1-3) vs. Colorado (Morales 2-2), 7:10p.m., Dodger Stadium.

TV: FSN Prime Ticket.

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Photo:

Colorado's Yorvit Torreabla scores in the third inning as Dodgers catcher Chad Moeller awaits the throw to the plate.

David Crane/Staff Photographer