ROCKY SEASON ENDS IN L.A.'S ELIMINATION DODGERS OUT OF PLAYOFF CONTENTION AFTER DEFEAT COLORADO 9, DODGERS 7.

Byline: TONY JACKSON 

Staff Writer

The Dodgers tried to take advantage of their opportunity to impact a playoff race that no longer involves them. They tried to play spoiler, tried to take another step toward clinching a winning season, tried to keep playing like there was actually something to play for even if, from their unenviable vantage point, there really wasn't.

In the end, though, they were no match for the National League's feel- good story of the year, also known as the Colorado Rockies. In the end, the Dodgers were nothing more than straight men for a once lightly regarded club that couldn't have picked a better time to reel off nine consecutive wins, five of them at the Dodgers' expense.

The inevitable result for the Dodgers was a 9-7 loss to the Rockies in front of 44,660 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

The game ended with the potential tying run at the plate, but the Dodgers' season-long inability to capitalize on such situations is a primary reason why they are in this mess to begin with. The defeat, coupled with San Diego's ninth-inning rally to win at San Francisco, officially eliminated the Dodgers from any possibility of playing beyond Sunday.

Which means now, for these Dodgers, Sunday can't come soon enough.

The Rockies tied the longest winning streak in their 15-year history and took one step closer to what would be their second playoff berth. They also made it a virtual certainty that they will finish ahead of the Dodgers in the National League West for the first time ever, although the Dodgers still could tie Colorado if they win all five of their remaining games and the Rockies don't win again.

"Given the circumstances, there isn't much left to play for except pride," Dodgers catcher Russell Martin said. "We played hard, but we just got beat again. It's obviously disappointing, but we just have to keep playing. We battled the whole season. It's not like we didn't have any fight."

The Dodgers came out of spring training with stratospheric expectations, but instead are left to play out the string on a season that didn't officially become hopeless until now but in reality has been a lost cause for several days. But if there is a positive to all this, it lies in the fact that after the Dodgers seemed to sleepwalk through those first few days after it became clear they were going nowhere, they seem to have recovered now and awakened to the reality that there are still goals to reach, wins to record and pride to salvage.

And, of course, other people's dreams to shatter. Because as high as the Rockies appear to be flying at the moment, losing the final two games of this series to the Dodgers would put a serious dent in their effort to secure their first postseason appearance since 1995, when they were quickly eliminated by the eventual world champion Atlanta Braves.

"They are a terrific offense," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "They proved that to us (last week) in Colorado. They are swinging the bats good, and we didn't swing them enough to win the ballgame. That's just the way it goes."

The fourth-place Dodgers, who trail division-leading Arizona by eight games, still need to win two of their final five to secure a winning season -- something that seemed all but a certainty before the club lost eight of its past nine games.

Dodgers left-hander Mark Hendrickson (4-8) continued to probably pitch his way out of town, coming on to begin the sixth inning with a 5-4 lead and giving up a two-run homer to likely NLRookie of the Year Troy Tulowitzki to put the Rockies ahead to stay. Hendrickson is eligible for arbitration this winter, but given that he presently has a $2.925 million salary and that he has been reduced to a seldom-used long reliever, the club isn't likely to offer him a contract.

The Dodgers appeared ready to break the game open in the fifth, when James Loney's three-run homer put them in front 5-4 and Jeff Kent followed with a double. But Ryan Speier (3-1) relieved Ubaldo Jimenez and got out of the jam with the help of Kent, who tried to tag and score on Andre Ethier's flyball to shallow center. When Cory Sullivan's throw beat Kent to the plate, Kent made no attempt to knock over or slide around catcher Yorvit Torrealba.

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DODGERS

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Dodgers (Lowe 12-13) vs. Colorado (Fogg 9-9), 7:10 p.m., Dodger Stadium.

TV: FSN Prime Ticket.

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Photo:

Dodgers starter Brad Penny gave up four runs on six hits in his five innings of work Tuesday against Colorado.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images