Even Weaver Stifles Dodgers

It has been a rough season for former Dodgers right-hander Jeff Weaver. He was 3-10 with the Angels with a 6.29 ERA. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals to make room in the Angels rotation for his brother, Jered. And in his Cardinals debut, Jeff was bombed for six runs and eight hits in four innings.

But Weaver can tell himself it could be worse. He could still be a Dodger.

Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, Weaver got a first-hand look from 60 feet, 6 inches away at how frustrating that can be these days.

The foundering Dodgers offense even made Weaver look good, handing him his first Cardinals victory as St. Louis prevailed, 6-1. It was the Dodgers’ ninth loss in 10 games since the All-Star break, a span in which they have scored 16 runs.

But all the blame couldn’t be placed on the Dodgers offense Saturday night. The starting pitching wasn’t any better.

It figured to be. Dodgers starter Aaron Sele was on the mound for them. He began the game 6-0 at Dodger Stadium this season with a 1.65 earned-run average.

Not Saturday.

Sele (6-4) lasted four innings, giving up five runs and six hits, four of the hits going for extra bases, including two home runs.

That was more than enough to beat the punchless Dodgers.

Afterward, the clubhouse doors were shut and a players-only meeting was held. When the meeting broke up, several players declined to give details.

Dodgers Manager Grady Little expressed little confidence in such a meeting.

“I’m about [done] with postgame meetings,” he said. “It’s time we started doing something. We have to keep reaching down until we find something that works.”

Little keeps reaching. He has continued to “tinker,” as he calls it, with the lineup in search of a spark, but with Jeff Kent on the disabled list because of a sore muscle on his left side and J.D. Drew reduced to a pinch-hitting appearance Saturday night because of a bruised knee, there is only so much tinkering to be done.

Little, who pronounced Andre Ethier his everyday left fielder Saturday, put the rookie in the cleanup spot, and moved another rookie, catcher Russell Martin, up to the No. 5 slot for the first time.

But the hoped-for breakthrough never materialized.

The Dodgers got a break in the first inning when Kenny Lofton smacked a line drive off the back of Weaver, who was unhurt.

Safely aboard on the infield single, Lofton stole second and scored on a single to left by Nomar Garciaparra, extending Garciaparra’s team-leading RBI total to 57.

Barely had the cheers of Dodgers fans quieted down before the Cardinals started teeing off on Sele. And they didn’t need fluke hits. They used power, a weapon sorely lacking in a Dodgers team that has hit only 78 home runs, lowest total in the National League and second lowest in the majors behind the Kansas City Royals.

Jim Edmonds put the Cardinals on the scoreboard in the second inning by hitting his 15th home run, putting a 2-2 curve from Sele over the center-field wall.

In the third, with a man aboard, Albert Pujols connected on a 1-0 slider, sending the ball deep into the left-field bleachers to move into the league lead with his 32nd home run.

St. Louis wasn’t done with Sele, adding two more in the fourth, Scott Spiezio doubling in one run and the other scoring on Weaver’s double-play grounder. Chris Duncan added a homer off Joe Beimel in the fifth.

After earning his first win, Weaver praised St. Louis Manager Tony La Russa for the way he has been treated since joining the Cardinals.

“The last time that happened,” Weaver said, “it was [former Dodgers manager] Jim Tracy. He’s another quality guy. It was a joy to pitch here in front of wholesome fans who appreciate what you are doing.”