LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012 L.A. Times Dodgers finally score, but not quite enough L.A. loses fifth in a row, 3-2 to the Mets, and ninth out of 10 to fall to second in West behind Giants By Dylan Hernandez June 28, 2012, 11:05 p.m. Santa Claus doesn't exist. The purported Bigfoot who was captured on film in 1967 was actually a man in an ape suit. And if Friedrich Nietzsche is to believed, God is dead. Something else: The Dodgers aren't a first-place team. Not anymore. Not after their 3-2 defeat by the New York Mets on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, their ninth loss in 10 games. But before the Dodgers were replaced by the San Francisco Giants atop the National League West, the so-called "wonder team" had one final miracle to perform. It scored. Its pair of fourth-inning runs ended its scoreless streak at 33 innings, the fifth-longest in franchise history. "It felt good to score a couple of runs, to be honest with you," Manager Don Mattingly said. If that doesn't seem like a miracle, consider who was and wasn't in the lineup. Though it appears a rib cage injury won't force Andre Ethier onto the disabled list, the All-Star right fielder wasn't ready to play. Matt Kemp was also in the dugout, recovering from a strained left hamstring. Second baseman Mark Ellis was still two days away from starting a minor league rehabilitation assignment. "That's what really hurts," Mattingly said. James Loney, who entered the game in an 0-for-18 drought and couldn't break into the lineup in the three previous games, was batting cleanup. Scott Van Slyke, called up from triple A earlier in the day to replace demoted utilitymanIvan De Jesus Jr., was hitting fifth. Mattingly insisted he didn't assemble his lineup by picking names out of a hat. Loney and Van Slyke both were 0 for 4. The Dodgers failed to get a man on base against Mets starter Chris Young in the first three innings, but shortstop Dee Gordon led off the fourth inning with a double to center field. Gordon scored on a triple by Elian Herrera, who was hitless in his previous 20 at-bats. The moment was celebrated with a standing ovation by the home crowd. The players were also excited. "We were pumped up," pitcher Chris Capuano said. "We were jumping around." One at-bat later, Juan Rivera singled to center to drive in Herrera, tying the score, 2-2. But Capuano (9-3) couldn't hold the stalemate. Facing the team he pitched for last season, Capuano served up a fifth-inning double to Andres Torres that drove in Mike Nickeas to put the Mets back ahead, 3-2. The Dodgers never threatened again. Meanwhile, the Giants were on their way to beating the Cincinnati Reds, 5-0, to move a game in front of the Dodgers. The Dodgers, who led the Giants by 41/2 games as recently as June 20, have lost their last five games. The last time the Dodgers weren't in first place, the season was only five days old. Mattingly downplayed the change in the standings. "We can't really be concerned about anybody else when we're in a rut," he said. For the manager of a free-falling team, Mattingly sounded upbeat before the game. The results of Ethier's MRI exam, coupled with the Kemp and Ellis' improvements in health, were the primary sources of his optimism. On what the medical staff told him about Ethier, Mattingly said, "It's really good news." Ethier left the Dodgers' loss in San Francisco the previous day when he injured his left rib cage muscle checking his swing and recoiling his bat. Tests showed the muscle was strained, but not to the point where he had to be placed on the 15- day disabled list. Ethier is listed as day to day. Ethier was visibly relieved. "I've been on the DL the last couple of years and it's not a good feeling," Ethier said. "There's nothing more I would want to have than a full, healthy season." Ethier received treatment and stretched with his teammates but didn't participate in hitting or fielding drills. He said he probably would follow the same routine for another day. Hitters who strain rib cage muscles often strain the muscles facing the pitcher when they hit. Such players often take about a month to return from the disabled list. What makes Ethier's case unique is that he strained a muscle on the opposite side. Still, if Ethier's condition doesn't improve soon, he could land on the disabled list. "Obviously, we're in a league where you can't just sit here for 10 days," Mattingly said. "If it got to something like that, I'm sure we'd talk about something different." Dodgers make statement with deal for Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig The Dodgers reintroduced themselves as players in the international market when they agreed to a seven-year, $42- million deal with the 21-year-old who has not played organized baseball in over a year. By Dylan Hernandez June 28, 2012, 9:44 p.m. Less than two months removed from bankruptcy and the clutches of Frank McCourt, the Dodgers displayed their increased financial flexibility under the new ownership, committing $42 million to a 21-year-old Cuban defector who hasn't played organized baseball in more than a year. The agreement with outfielder Yasiel Puig on a seven-year contract was perhaps the most significant statement made to date by Guggenheim Baseball Management, even more than the signing of Andre Ethier to a five-year, $85-million extension this month. Puig isn't expected to play in the major leagues this season. He might not be ready to do so next season. But the Dodgers offered him the most lucrative contract ever awarded to a Cuban amateur, reintroducing themselves as players in an international market that was neglected under McCourt's ownership. If team President Stan Kasten is to be believed, this is only the start. Kasten wouldn't speak Thursday about the deal with Puig, which is pending on the results of a physical examination and the approval of Major League Baseball. But Kasten made clear the Dodgers would continue to be big spenders. The Dodgers expect to spend money when the new international signing period opens Monday. They will spend money at the trade deadline, if necessary. And they will spend money next winter in free agency. Of the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline in particular, Kasten said, "I promise you we'll explore everything. Look, as candid as we can be, we're the Dodgers. We're supposed to be big. We intend to be big. Will we look at big things? You bet." The shortage of top-tier prospects in the Dodgers farm system could be an obstacle, as they are what teams will be asking for in return for established players. "I wish we were deeper in that regard," Kasten said. "But if the resources involve money, we'll be very flexible." In fact, Kasten said he would prefer to take on a greater percentage of an incoming player's salary if it means they can acquire him in exchange for a low-caliber of prospects. That being said, Kasten doesn't think the Dodgers necessarily have to add players to remain in contention. And with the upcoming free-agent class thin on top-class position players — these are players that are generally made available for trades — there is also the question of whether there are any high-impact deals to be made. The Dodgers think that Puig can one day turn into such a player. Not everyone is so sure, which is why there was surprise in some sectors of the industry when Puig received more money than two other recent Cuban defectors, Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics (four years, $36 million) and Jorge Soler of the Chicago Cubs (nine years, $30 million). Puig is 6 feet 3 and plays at about 215 pounds, according to his agent, Jaime Torres. But Puig was suspended from Cuba's top league for the 2011-12 season for attempting to leave the Communist country. Because he was unable to practice while suspended, his weight increased to almost 230 pounds. Until Puig worked out for major league teams in Mexico City last weekend, he hadn't held a bat in five months. But the Dodgers scouted Puig before his banishment from Cuban baseball when not every team was scouting him. What they saw in the few times Puig played internationally was a five-tool player with power and speed. Puig had a breakout season in Cuba in 2010-11, batting .330 with 17 home runs and 47 runs batted in. The Dodgers plan to take a measured approach with Puig, who will probably start his American baseball experience at the team's year-round training complex in Arizona. If he progresses well, he could play in the Arizona Fall League, a finishing school for baseball's top prospects. R.A. Dickey hopes for return to his 2012 dominance versus Dodgers The knuckleballer, 11-1 on the season, will start for the Mets tonight at Dodger Stadium. He struggled in his last start after throwing consecutive one-hitters. By Jim Peltz June 29, 2012 One way to sum up the intriguingR.A.