DODGERS BLOW LEAD IN WAKE OF TRADES SAN DIEGO 3, DODGERS 2.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO - Darren Dreifort has spent his entire professional career in the Dodgers organization. Those 11 years aside, though, Saturday was like the first day of a new job.

Dreifort didn't exactly make a good first impression.

Having been handed the primary setup job after Friday's controversial trade of Guillermo Mota to Florida, Dreifort began by arriving at Petco Park about 90 minutes before game time, long after the rest of the team had taken the field for batting practice. That was excusable, though, because players are allowed to commute from Los Angeles for the series with San Diego if they so choose, and Dreifort had alerted manager Jim Tracy by phone on his way down the 5 Freeway that the traffic was unusually heavy and that he had no chance of arriving on time.

Then, in the eighth inning of what became a 3-2 loss to the San Diego Padres before 43,726 at Petco Park, Dreifort made his debut as Mota's successor. Armed with a one-run lead, the veteran right-hander gave up three hits, two walks and faced seven hitters before finally getting out of the inning, by which time the lead was history.

Dreifort's new role, however, is here to stay, for better or worse. He is one of the hardest throwers in the Dodgers bullpen, and his history of arm problems prohibits him from finishing one inning and starting the next, all of which make him the logical choice.

For the forseeable future, then, Dreifort will be the guy setting the table for Eric Gagne. Or at least attempting to.

``Dreif is going to do a tremendous job in that role,'' Dodgers first baseman Shawn Green said. ``He's got the stuff for it, and he's got the heart for it. This was just one of those nights when they battled and got a couple of broken-bat hits. It happens.''

In defense of Dreifort, it didn't have to happen this time. The Dodgers stranded a runner in scoring position in the first inning, left the bases loaded in the fourth, stranded a runner on third in the fifth after getting him there with one out and left yet another runner on second in the eighth. And on an evening when simply making contact here or there might have meant another run, the Dodgers struck out 12 times.

As it was, Dreifort gave up a leadoff single to Terrence Long, who broke his bat before lining the ball over the infield and into right field. Khalil Greene bunted Long to second before Dreifort issued a poorly timed walk to pinch hitter Sean Burroughs. Mark Loretta followed with a single to center to tie the game. Phil Nevin followed with a slow roller up the third-base line, and although Adrian Beltre gamely charged it, there was no chance to get Burroughs at the plate or Nevin at first.

When Dreifort (1-2) finally got out of the inning, the Padres predictably went to Trevor Hoffman to close it out.

``It boils down to the broken-bat hit by Terrence Long,'' Tracy said. ``Things like that happen. We stranded some baserunners that, if we could have gotten them in, possibly would have made it a different story.''

The Dodgers (60-43) saw their lead over the second-place Padres in the National League West slip to 2 1/2 games, with the rubber game of the three-game series set for this afternoon.

Akinori Otsuka (6-2) relieved Padres starter Jake Peavy with two outs in the eighth after Peavy, who had struck out four of the previous five batters, gave up a double to Green. Otsuka intentionally walked Hee Seop Choi, a product of the six-player trade with the Marlins, who made his Dodgers debut.

David Ross, who will get increased playing time now with Paul Lo Duca also having been shipped to the Marlins, struck out, stranding Green and Choi and setting the stage for Dreifort's implosion, which ruined a spectacular effort by starter Kazuhisa Ishii that included a season high-tying seven strikeouts.

Ishii scattered four hits over 6 1/3 innings and, in the top of the third, smacked his first career home run, a no-doubter several rows deep into the right-field stands.

The blast gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead after a two-out single by Jay Payton in the second tied it. The Dodgers jumped in front 1-0 when Cesar Izturis began the game with a triple and scored on a Jayson Werth single.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Dodgers pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii is congratulated after he hit his first career home run. San Diego beat the Dodgers 3-2.

Sandy Huffaker/Associated Press

Box:

PADRES 3, DODGERS 2