It’s All They Can Strand

Once again the Dodgers couldn’t keep up with the Joneses. And they aren’t keeping pace with National League West neighbors Arizona and San Diego, either.

Home runs by Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones sparked the Braves to a 5-2 victory Sunday before an announced sellout crowd of 53,239 at Dodger Stadium and dropped the Dodgers into third place for the first time this season.

The Diamondbacks and Padres won, passing the Dodgers (21-16), who are 9-14 since beginning the season 12-2. This is a particularly tough stretch. The Dodgers lost five of seven last week against two reigning division champions, the Braves and St. Louis Cardinals.

If there is another serious contender for the NL crown outside the West, it probably is the Florida Marlins, who begin a three-game series at Dodger Stadium tonight. Then comes a series against the Angels, who lead the American League West.

“The competition has been tough,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “We are playing some awfully tough ballclubs. You do your best to win your fair share against teams of this caliber.”

Jones and Jones hit back-to-back, essentially meaningless homers against Eric Gagne in the ninth inning of Saturday’s Brave victory. This time the outcome turned on their blasts.

Chipper Jones tied the score, 2-2, by hitting a two-run homer with two outs in the sixth against starter Scott Erickson, who kept his berth in the Dodger rotation by holding the Braves (23-14) scoreless to that point.

Second baseman Jeff Kent couldn’t get off a throw trying to turn two on the play preceding the home run. Although Erickson suggested the play should have been made, Kent would have had little chance of getting the speedy Marcus Giles at first.

Andruw Jones gave the Braves the lead by going deep against reliever Wilson Alvarez to lead off the seventh. Adam LaRoche homered in the ninth, giving the Braves seven home runs in two games.

“The ball was really jumping,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “I’m surprised there weren’t 10 home runs today.”

The Dodgers didn’t contribute any. They did out-hit the Braves, nine to six, but left 10 runners on base, continuing a disturbing trend of poor hitting in the clutch. Kent, regarded as the best Dodger run producer, couldn’t explain the reason.

“I’m a bottom-line guy,” he said. “We are getting guys on and are not crossing the plate as much as we should be.”

Twice the Dodgers failed to advance runners on bunts. They left the bases loaded in the sixth inning and two runners were stranded in the third and fourth.

Tracy juggled the lineup against Tim Hudson (4-2), batting rookie Oscar Robles second and moving hot Hee-Seop Choi from second to seventh. Robles went 0 for 4 and is one for 17 since being acquired from the Mexican League.

Choi singled in the first Dodger run, a hit that scored Ricky Ledee, who had three hits and drove in the second run in the fourth inning. But Robles grounded out with the bases loaded and two out in the sixth.

Tracy said he moved Choi down because he didn’t want Robles, reserve catcher Paul Bako and the pitcher’s spot weakening the bottom of the batting order.

“I wanted to stretch the lineup,” Tracy said. “You see the progress Choi has made, displaying power. I wanted him in a position to drive in runs. And Robles is an excellent situational hitter.”

As for his team’s dropping behind Arizona and San Diego in the standings, Tracy waved off any concerns.

“It’s way too early to worry about that,” he said. “The team that decides to play consistent baseball over the course of a long season will win. That’s what it boils down to every single year.”