FRUSTRATION GROWS FOR DODGERS L.A. LOSES FOR 12TH TIME IN 13 GAMES SAN DIEGO 7, DODGERS 3.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE Staff Writer

A frustrated Grady Little sat in his Dodger Stadium office Tuesday looking very much like a man running out of ideas.

Losing 12 of 13 games and falling into last place can do that to just about anyone. So can dealing with all the injuries the Dodgers have had this year, the latest being a sprained knee that is expected to sideline first baseman Nomar Garciaparra at least five days.

Little drew up a lineup card for Tuesday's game against the NL West- leading Padres that was missing Garciaparra, Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew -- also known as the middle of the Dodgers' batting order -- and it could be a while before Little can pencil them in together again.

The Dodgers then went out and lost to the Padres for the second straight night, this time a 7-3 loss to to put them 6 1/2 games out of first place.

Which brings us back to the frustrated look Little was wearing before the Dodgers took the field on another sweltering day at Dodger Stadium. Little has been juggling his lineup nearly all season because of the injuries. He has been forced to write in wet-behind-the-ear rookies in spots in which he fully expected wily veterans to be performing. It worked for a while, as the kids and Garciaparra carried the Dodgers to within striking distance of first place in the NL West.

But as a hot summer drags into the last week of July, it's obvious the Dodgers need a major jolt to stir them from their most pronounced slump of the season.

``It`s sort of at an emergency (point),'' Little conceded.

The first step to recovery is a healthy group of players to work with, obviously. But more than that, Little wants to start seeing the guys he counted on back in spring start producing like they're capable of.

``In some cases, that's not happening,'' Little said.

One of the players Little is leaning on heaviest in that regard wasn't even in the lineup Tuesday. Drew, who hasn't hit a home run since June 1, was given the day off to basically clear his head. It was a move Little felt he had to make.

``You do it (now) to help your chances over the next two weeks,'' Little said.

Drew made a pinch-hit appearance in the bottom of the sixth with two out and a runner at second base, and Drew promptly hit what looked like a tying line-drive to center field. But catcher Toby Hall -- not the fleetest of foot -- was thrown out easily at home by the Padres' Mike Cameron.

Drew isn't the only Dodger to struggle. Rafael Furcal, lured from Atlanta to Los Angeles as a free agent, has been spotty in his first season with the Dodgers. But he hit a double off San Diego starter Chan Ho Park in the fifth inning to tie the score 2-2, and he's still got two months to show the Dodgers they made a wise investment.

The Padres took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a two-run home run from Cameron off Dodgers starter Mark Hendrickson. The Dodgers tied it up, getting a home run from Kenny Lofton in the fourth, then Furcal's RBI double in the fifth.

But the Padres went ahead again in the sixth, getting doubles from Mike Piazza and Adrian Gonzalez to make it 3-2. Park followed with a bloop single to make it 4-2.

Of course, the Dodgers can always make a big trade over the next five days. It's well-known the they have a bunch of coveted prospects -- Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Andre Ethier and Russell Martin represent just the first wave prospects expected to carry the Dodgers into the next decade.

So coveted is the group that the Dodgers are loathe to deal any of them. The organization is operating with the future in mind, hesitant to make a knee-jerk move for the next two months if it jeopardizes the following two or three years.

It's a stance Little seems on board with.

``Everything we think about (takes into account) 2007 (and beyond)'' Little said.

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) The Dodgers' Toby Hall is tagged out a home plate by San Diego catcher Mike Piazza on Tuesday.

Ana P. Gutierrez/Special to the Daily News

(2) PENNY

Box:

DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO

- Vincent Bonsignore