DODGERS ARE STILL ALIVE - BARELY PADRES WIN PUTS L.A. CLOSE TO ELIMINATION.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

At 7:36 p.m. Friday at Dodger Stadium, the introduction of the Dodgers' starting lineup was met mostly with polite applause. Exactly 27 people occupied the section directly behind the Dodger dugout.

In an atmosphere usually reserved for Kansas City, Colorado and other traditional outposts known for September ambivalence, the Dodgers returned home from a road trip to find that their city seemingly had moved on. Only the allure of postgame fireworks, usually a sold-out event, made the crowd fairly sizable.

The only formality left was for the Dodgers to be officially eliminated from the playoff race, and they remained on the cusp Friday night but held a 4-2 lead over Pittsburgh in the top of the eighth inning.

First-place San Diego beat Arizona on Friday night, so the Dodgers needed a victory over the Pirates to avoid official elimination from the National League West race.

This won't be the least successful team in Los Angeles Dodger history, as the 1992 squad went 63-99 to control that dubious distinction, but it very well could be the second worst. The Dodgers entered Friday with 85 losses and 10 games left and could be just the second team in L.A. history to lose 90 games.

Regardless, this season will end in disappointment for the Dodgers, who won a division title last year but this season have dealt with serious injuries and an approximate $81-million payroll that was millions below the threshold Frank McCourt promised to maintain when he bought the team.

The game started well enough for the Dodgers. Willy Aybar led off the first with a double down the left-field line and scored two outs later when Olmedo Saenz sliced a single into left field.

Houlton cruised early, as he retired six of the first seven Pirates, but then ran into trouble in the second. Nate McLouth singled and one out later, Freddy Sanchez (Burbank High/Glendale JC) hit a home run to left for a 2-1 lead.

Friday night marked a solid turnaround for Houlton, a rookie who hadn't completed the fifth inning in any of his past three starts and had won just one of his past 12 starts since June 27.

In ideal circumstances, Houlton wouldn't have been a part of the Dodgers' rotation this season, and maybe not next season either, but he's provided enough quality moments to make the Dodgers think he might be a part of their future in some role.

After Sanchez's home run, Houlton retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced, with the only runner, Ryan Doumit, erased on a double play in the fifth inning.

Houlton lasted six innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth, when the Dodgers rallied to take the lead against Pirates rookie starter Paul Maholm.

With one out in the sixth, Dioner Navarro doubled down the left-field line. Mike Edwards then walked and Jayson Werth singled to right to score Navarro from second and tie the game 2-2.

After a line-out by pinch-hitter Oscar Robles, Aybar was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Antonio Perez followed with a liner to third base, which Rob Mackowiak couldn't handle, and Edwards scored.

Jeff Kent then drew a walk against reliever Jose Mesa to force home Werth and give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead, but with the bases still loaded and a chance to blow open the game, Saenz grounded out to third base to end the inning.

Maholm allowed four runs on seven hits, walked four and struck out three.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

Willy Aybar scores the Dodgers' first run in Friday's game.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) DODGERS vs. PITTSBURGH

- Rich Hammond

(2) ALMANAC