James Loney was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, and the Dodgers felt a little dejected after getting swept by the New York Mets in today’s doubleheader at Citi Field, 0-4 and 5-10.

After a frustrating first game, Loney was tossed in the fourth of game-two when a disagreement sparked over umpire Angel Campos’ questionable third-strike call, one that subsequently ended a Dodger-rally with bases-loaded. Loney had been swinging a hot bat coming into the series, hitting around .310, but unfortunately he let his hot head get the better of him.

Casey Blake, who replaced Loney at first, went 0-for-1 with an RBI, but it was Reed Johnson who led the Dodgers in offense going 3-for-8 with an RBI on the day, as he replaced an ailing Manny in left field. Speaking of injuries, Rafael Furcal missed part deux of the doubleheader after tweaking his hamstring while running out a double-play in the earlier contest. Just what we need, more injuries.

Scoring, which has been an issue for L.A. as of late, was not so in tonight’s game. It was pitching. Surprise, surprise.

Charlie Haeger (0-3) got roughed up again allowing five-earned in just four innings, bringing his ERA to a McDonald’s value menu-esque 7.45. Haeger gave up five hits and four walks in the nightcap, a performance that I think will ultimately send him packing to the bullpen.

And who could argue?

It seems like Haeger just can’t hit his spots, especially early on in the ballgame, and when you’re a knuckleballer you have very little margin for error in the first place.  Haeger gave up three quick runs to the Mets in the first inning, which marks the second-straight start he’s gotten into trouble early, and he gave up two more runs in the fifth inning.
I think this is a wake up call to Rick Honeycutt and Joe Torre who desperately need to figure out the pitching dilemma.

Unfortunately, with Jeff Weaver and Vicente Padilla both on the disabled list, the Dodgers staff also has very little wiggle room. Maybe it’s time to let loose the reins on rookie pitcher Carlos Monasterios and move him from the bullpen to the starting rotation. Monasterios is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in 8 and 2/3, and I wouldn’t doubt it if a move is made sometime next week.

In the meantime, we’re left feeling the Blues after today’s double-dip beatdown. The surging Mets improve to 12-9, winning their sixth straight, while the Dodgers have lost five-of-six and fallen to a paltry 8-12. The Dodgers have won only three of their ten road contests this season, currently taking up last place in the NL West.

The Dodgers were shutout in game-one of today’s doubleheader courtesy of two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana and the New York Mets, 4-0.

The shutout marks the third time this season Los Angeles has failed to post a run (they had a total of nine shutouts last year). The Manny-less Dodgers managed just five hits, one of which came from Manny’s replacement Reed Johnson who hit a one-out triple in the top of the third. Ethier and Kemp failed to pick him up, though, as the Dodgers left 17 runners on base en route to losing their seventh-of-the-last-nine road games.

Santana improved his record to 3-1 throwing six K’s in as many innings, and the surging Mets improved their record to 11-9, winning 9-of-12. Mets starters are 5-1 with a 1.17 ERA during that span.

As for the reeling Dodger rotation, Hiroki Kuroda received his first loss of the season giving up five hits and two earned in six innings, including a solo-shot to Jason Bay in the fourth. Kuroda, who’s historically struggled against the Mets, entered the game with a 12.86 ERA against New York away from Chavez Ravine. In fact, he’s never beaten the Mets on the road (0-3).

It didn’t get any better for the Dodger pen, either. Jon Link, who was called up again this week from Triple-A Albuquerque, gave up two runs on two hits and one walk, and failed to get anybody out in his 7th inning relief appearance. So much for being the missing link in the Dodger pen.

With the loss, the slumping Dodgers fall to 8-11 and need to win the remaining four games this week to finish April with a winning record. Including a 1-0 loss Sunday at Washington, this is the first time since June 0f 2008 the Dodgers have been shutout in consecutive games.

Game two is scheduled to begin later tonight as two winning-less pitchers go at it. Dodger knuckleballer Charlier Haeger (0-2, 6.46) is set to take on Oliver Perez (0-1, 3.78) in the nightcap. Haeger has been shelled pretty hard in his last two outings, allowing 11 runs and 12 hits – two homers – with seven walks in 8 1-3 innings. The Dodgers are looking to avoid dropping their fourth consecutive road series of the season.

April showers might bring May flowers, but they probably washed away any chance the Dodgers had of finishing April with a winning record.

If you told me about a month ago that the Los Angeles Dodgers would drop three of the opening five series to the Pirates, Marlins and Nationals, I would have called you a bold-faced liar. But as it turns out, the cards have been stacked high against the Dodgers all season as they’ve struggled to win a series on the road and still have yet to get above .500.

Unfortunately for L.A., the road doesn’t get any easier tomorrow. Since tonight’s game was postponed due to rain, the Dodgers find themselves playing a doubleheader against the surging New York Mets, who’ve won seven out of their last ten. The Dodgers, meanwhile, have lost six-of-nine on the road.

Oh yeah, and Johan Santana is pitching the first game.

But with Vicente Padilla on the DL and a blank-spot in Wednesday’s rotation against John Maine, a sweep tomorrow may be the only chance the Dodgers have to finish April with a winning record. To do so they’ll need to win four out of five games this week.

There is a silver lining for the Dodgers waiting over the rain-soaked grass of Citi Field. Nothing washes the rain away like a good, old-fashioned sweep on the road, and kicking off the series with a double-dip over the Mets would be a great start.

Tomorrow’s first game is scheduled to start at 4:10 EDT with Hiroki Kuroda going against Santana. On a positive note, Kuroda has thrived away from home as of late, going 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA in his last seven starts;  however, he’s 0-2 with a 12.86 ERA in two road meetings versus the Mets and has never competed more than five innings.

Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger will take the hill in game two against tonight’s scheduled starter Olivier Perez despite getting shelled in his last three outings. Haeger is 0-2 with a 6.46 ERA.

Matt Kemp, who’s leading the Blue Crew with seven homers and 20 RBI, is hitting a whomping .436 with six RBIs in the last ten road trips to New York. Casey Blake is 5-for-his-last-9 with two homers and 3 RBI.

Unlike something out of a Willy Nelson song, the Los Angeles Dodgers (7-9) have found no comfort on the road; in fact it’s more like the Highway to Hell.

Adam Dunn homered twice and opposing pitcher Luis Atilano won in his major league debut as the Dodgers dropped another road game tonight to the lowly Washington Nationals (9-8), 1-5, making it the seventh time in ten games the Blue have lost an away game this season.

Despite the fact that Los Angeles is leading the majors in runs scored, Atilano took advantage of a Manny-less Dodger line-up holding them to just one run and five hits over six innings for his first career MLB win. This marks the second straight game that the Dodgers have lost to a starter getting his first major league win–the Reds’ Mike Leake handed it to us last night. It’s sort of like being on the wrong end of beginner’s luck.

I’ve got to give it to the guy, though. The 24-year-old Atilano replaced Jason Marquis in the Nats rotation tonight after coming back from a  potentially career-ending Tommy John surgery in 2006–which has made it a long and winding road to recovery up until tonight.

And speaking of long and winding roads, that’s what it seems like this road trip, and for that matter every road trip, has been for L.A. The Dodgers are giving up an average of 6.3 runs per game on the road and not even knuckballer Charlie Haeger could find the answers tonight against the perennial doormat of the NL East.

Haeger (0-2) threw 5 and 1/3 allowing five hits, four runs (three earned), and two home-runs to Natty’s slugger Adam Dunn who got his 25tth career multi-homer game. Haeger (6.46) has yet to show the kind of stuff that helped the Dodgers down the stretch last year, and had lots of trouble hitting his spots tonight. But as we all know, knuckleballers tend to be hit-or-miss, and apparently Haeger hasn’t been very good at Battleship in ’10.

And with Manny on the 15-day DL with a strained right calf, the Dodgers didn’t do too much hitting themselves. Veteran Garrett Anderson, who started in place of Mannywood, went 0-for-4, and Matt Kemp had his 11-game hit-streak snapped by going hitless in four at-bats. In fact the top-half of the Dodger order only managed only two hits in 20 at-bats (.100).

Ouch.

James Loney scored the lone run for the Dodgers, but Ronnie Belliard, who started at third base tonight, was the gut of the Dodger offense tonight connecting for two of the team’s five hits including a base-on-balls, the third time in three road starts he’s reached base three times.

The Dodgers will have an early start tomorrow as Clayton Kershaw (1-0) takes the mound against Craig Stammen (1-0) at 1:05 EDT.

I think Kershaw will come out on fire tomorrow and shut down this Nationals squad that’s rapidly approaching it’s 10th win of the season (a feat they didn’t reach til the 28th game last year). If Kershaw is to avoid a Dodger three-game skid, he’s definitely gotta cut down on the walks. The left-hander has allowed only six runs in three starts,  but he’s also walked an NL-high 15.

I expect Kershaw to keep his composure and rack up atleast seven K’s tomorrow afternoon as the Dodgers reluctantly make a push for .500, a mountain they haven’t eclipsed all season. Go Blue!