DEADLINE AMPLIFIES THE DAZE; DISTRACTED DODGERS LET ANOTHER SLIP AWAY : CINCINNATI 7, DODGERS 5.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

The clock is ticking and it is all the Dodgers can hear.

They know Saturday's trading deadline could include any of them and they are playing like they are not sure if that is a good thing or not.

You could make a case that they've played that way all season, but when the distracted Dodgers lost 7-5 to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon, it marked the third time they blew leads in the four-game series.

Although most players think the team will not be broken up until the end of the season, the deadline is playing with players' minds. Tonight they open what should be a critical three-game series against the National League West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks.

Instead the talk is about a different kind of future, one that does not include here.

``Yes, you hear things,'' left fielder Gary Sheffield said. ``You try not to get wrapped up that, but it's hard for some guys. You just have to wait until something happens and stay positive.''

Sheffield has five years and $39.5 million left on his contract and is not a candidate to leave. He is owed too much money to be attractive to a contender.

So is Raul Mondesi, who is owed $29 million for the next three years. But teammates say he is worried about Saturday. Although he had a single, a run and an RBI on Thursday, Mondesi is batting .243 and remains a missing man in the Dodgers offense.

The guys who should really worry about packing enough socks for the weekend are the starting pitchers. Eric Karros, who hit his 23rd homer to open the sixth inning, usually gets discussed this time of year but appears safe for now. His name came up in Toronto before the Blue Jays traded for Seattle first baseman David Segui.

``Is there a distraction because of the deadline?'' Karros said. ``We've been playing this way all year.''

Others aren't so sure.

``It's on people's minds,'' pitching coach Claude Osteen said. ``Yesterday, (Ismael Valdes) came up to me in the bullpen and asked me about it. I think there are a lot of people thinking about it.''

Not so, said Darren Dreifort (8-10), who was breezing until he fell apart in the sixth. He claims he made bad pitches on home runs to Dmitri Young and Eddie Taubensee. He said he was trying to go inside to Barry Larkin when he hit the Reds shortstop on an 1-2 pitch. It set up Taubensee's three-run shot that put the game away.

``You don't take that stuff on the field,'' Dreifort said. ``If you do, you shouldn't be here.''

Dreifort appeared flustered after Young opened the inning by hitting his fifth home run of the season. Young, who went 9 for 16 in the series, also doubled home a run and later scored in the seventh off reliever Onan Masaoka.

But Dodgers manager Davey Johnson, his team 11-1/2 back with 60 to play, was most upset with the pitch that struck Larkin with one out.

``To me that was worse than the home run pitches,'' Johnson said. ``You can't make those pitches and win consistently.''

Unlike Dreifort, Reds starter Pete Harnisch (10-6), who allowed six hits and two earned runs to win his fifth straight decision, made the pitches when he had to. He trailed 1-0 in the first on a sacrifice fly by Jose Vizcaino and was down 2-1 after four innings when Mondesi scored Gary Sheffield on a fly ball to left.

Harnisch, however, did some of his best work in the fourth. The Dodgers had a chance for a big inning when Sheffield opened with a single and Eric Karros followed with a double.

But Harnisch got Todd Hollandsworth on a popup to short. Mondesi scored Sheffield and Todd Hundley was intentionally walked. But Adrian Beltre flied to center to end the inning.

Dreifort, though, couldn't survive Cincinnati's four-run sixth. Despite his struggles this year, he is one of the Dodgers who have drawn the most trade interest during the past few weeks. The Dodgers are reluctant to trade their young pitchers - Dreifort, Chan Ho Park or Ismael Valdes.

Valdes, who was discussed Tuesday during meetings between Reds general manager Jim Bowden and Dodgers GM Kevin Malone, is scheduled to pitch Saturday. If he is scratched, you'll know something is up.

Dreifort said none of it bothers him. Even when asked if he thought his teammates are going through the motions, he said, ``You can draw your own conclusions.''

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Photo

PHOTO Chris Stynes can't make the catch as Craig Counsell steals second in the first inning. Counsell later scored to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer