Joe Torre After Loss: Dodgers Pressing

ARLINGTON, Texas -- After a three-hour game, Joe Torre sat behind his desk in the visiting managers' office at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington either sending a message or just providing answers.

Following the Dodgers' 6-0 loss to the Rangers on a humid Friday night, Torre said his club was pressing.

The Dodgers, with baseball's best record, have lost three of their last four games. They are second in the National League with 312 runs scored, yet have scored only nine runs the last four games.

And the Dodgers failed to produce against Rangers starter Vicente Padilla, who they chased after just five innings and 108 pitches.

"Yeah, we're pressing to get hits," Torre said calmly. "One of these days it will happen to fall into place."

Torre's lineup featured four players with at least 30 RBIs. But there is one guy who is missing: Manny Ramirez, who will not return until July while he serves his 50-game suspension. The Dodgers were 21-8 with Ramirez on the active roster but post a 19-14 mark without him.

Could the Dodgers be pressing without their leading power hitter?

"Hell, our record has been pretty good without Manny," Torre said. "You can't rely on that, you still have to put some points up."

The Dodgers have gone through these stretches before. Last season, there were three stretches of games where the lack of runs hurt. In late May, the Dodgers were outscored 16-7 in a four-game losing streak. Then, in early June, at the start of a five-game losing streak, they scored just one run in three games.

The biggest run deficiency occurred in August where during a eight-game losing streak the Dodgers saw themselves get outscored in some games, 8-1, 9-2, 5-0 and 11-2.

But the Dodgers insist that team which struggled at times, isn't around anymore.

"We're better," center fielder Matt Kemp said. "We don't have our heads down. It's just baseball. I wish we could win every game, but it doesn't work that way."

By saying his club was pressing, maybe Torre was trying to wake up his lineup. Torre understands that teams go through streaks like this. But with a 7 1/2 game lead in the NL West, Torre does not want to lose that lead and turn July and August into tense pennant races going into September. He does not have his lead guy, Ramirez, but does expect some of the power hitters that are left, Andre Ethier, Casey Blake and James Loney, to drive in runs.

Several players had different views as to whether Torre is right about the club pressing.

"No, I don't look into that type of stuff," Either said. "I just go out and play the game and try to compete. I don't go out there and evaluate people, that's for Joe and the coaches to worry about."

Said Loney: "I don't know, I can only speak for myself. I'm not. The guys seemed to be hitting the ball hard."

The Dodgers had their chance in the first inning against Padilla when Orlando Hudson and Ethier drew one-out walks. Blake bounced weakly to Padilla for the second out and Loney hit a drive to deep center. Marlon Byrd seemed to lose the ball in the lights because he stood still like he was going to catch a routine fly ball, but he sprinted toward the wall to make the one-handed grab.

In the third, the Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs but Loney flew out to left to end that threat. Juan Pierre singled to start the fifth, and with one out reached third on a throwing error as he attempted to steal second. But Either lined out to first and Blake struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Rangers' bats and bullpen closed the deal, leaving Torre to wonder just what's going on with his club.

"You turn the page and forget about it," he said.