DODGERS NOTEBOOK: LOWE DOES HIS PART IN ANOTHER LOSS.

Byline: TONY JACKSON 

Staff Writer

ANAHEIM -- Derek Lowe's body language had suggested all afternoon that he was frustrated.

But there was nothing suggestive about what the Dodgers right-hander did in the sixth inning, as he lay prone on the mound, having just landed there after simultaneously ducking out of the way of, and trying to spear, a line drive that wound up in center field for the RBI single that officially broke the Dodgers' backs in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Angels.

Lowe picked up a handful of dirt and, as he scrambled to his feet, flung it into the air.

Yes, Lowe is a groundball pitcher. Yes, several of those ground balls found their way through the infield, which is why he scattered nine hits over his eight innings. But no, this defeat was in no way Lowe's fault. Not on a day when he struck out six and didn't walk anyone.

And especially not on a day when the Dodgers scored one run to cap off a three-game series in which they plated a grand total of four.

"These guys are giving 100 percent," Lowe said of his teammates. "No one is out there trying to make mistakes. As a pitcher, you're not trying to give up home runs. You win as a team, and you lose as a team. In the three areas of the game, they played better in these three games than we did, and you have to give them credit."

For the second time in his past three starts, Lowe was credited with a complete game. But he also was tagged with the loss in both of those games.

He gave up a three-run, walkoff homer to Florida's Josh Willingham in the ninth inning in a 3-0 loss on May 10. And in the latest offensive no- show by the Dodgers, Lowe gave up runs in just two innings.

Both of those innings should have ended scoreless on ground balls that third baseman Wilson Betemit couldn't properly handle.

"Anytime ground balls are hit, there are no guarantees," Lowe said.

Half the 24 outs Lowe recorded came on ground balls, but so did six of the Angels' hits.

"Derek had the best stuff he has had all season long," manager Grady Little said. "But that one inning, there were just a couple of tough plays behind him."

Schmidt update: Dodgers right-hander Jason Schmidt, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 17 with bursitis, threw a 60-pitch side session before the game, breaking it up into 15-pitch segments.

Although the session went well, Schmidt still isn't airing out his fastball and still isn't close to going on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment.

And for now, there is no way of determining whether the layoff has restored the velocity Schmidt had lost on his pitches earlier this season.

"Our No. 1 concern is him feeling good after these exercises," Little said. "He is progressing. But the whole key will be how he feels two days from now."

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

DODGERS vs. MILWAUKEE

- Tony Jackson