By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Reds pitcher Jose Acevedo walks back to the mound after giving up a home run to the Los Angeles Dodgers' Jeromy Burnitz in the second inning. (Associated Press photo) | ZOOM |

LOS ANGELES - This is when you know the season is going really bad: You finally a starter who can pitch, but he can't walk down the steps.

That's what happened with the Reds. Jose Acevedo had to leave his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night after spraining his left ankle while falling down the dugout stairs after the third inning.

The Reds went on to lose 2-1 before a crowd of the 31,828 at Dodger Stadium. The loss was the third straight for the Reds.

"It's tough for him and for us," said Reds manager Dave Miley. "He's throwing the ball as well as anyone we've got.

This was no mild sprain. X-rays on Acevedo's ankle were inconclusive. He was sent back to Cincinnati for an MRI to see if there's a fracture. He'll definitely be placed on the disabled list.

"I am very disappointed," said Acevedo, who was on crutches after the game. "Accidents happen. This was bad accident. I wanted to tape it, but it swelled up very fast. I couldn't even walk."

Barry Larkin had to leave the game in the seventh inning after irritating scar tissue from his hernia surgery two years ago. Larkin is listed as day-to-day.

Acevedo will be the third Reds' starting pitcher to go on the DL in a week. He'll join Ryan Dempster and Jimmy Haynes.

"Three starters, it's tough," Miley said. "We'll have to something."

Scott Sullivan will take Acevedo's spot on the roster. The Reds will have to figure who makes Acevedo's next scheduled start Tuesday, when they open a homestand against Arizona.

The game was shaping up as pitcher's dual between Acevedo and LA lefty Odalis Perez.

Acevedo, who has a 2.66 ERA since being called up from Louisville, pitched very well.

"That was my game right there," Acevedo said.

He worked a 1-2-3 first. Jeromy Burnitz led off the second with a towering shot to right field. Ruben Mateo went over the fence and into the stands to try to catch it. He came up empty, and Burnitz had his 22nd home run.

The Dodgers loaded the bases with two hits and a walk after the home run. But Acevedo worked out of it. He got Alex Cora to fly to shallow left. Perez then hit a comebacker to Acevedo, who started a 1-2-3 double play.

Acevedo allowed a two-out double to Shawn Green in the third. He stranded him there by striking out Burnitz. Unfortunately, a few seconds later, he lost the battle with the stairs.

Acevedo apparently caught a spike on the final of the three steps.

"It twisted real bad," he said. "Everyone heard me scream."

Perez, meanwhile, held the Reds hitless through 5 2/3 innings. Pinch-hitter Juan Castro broke up the no-no with a ground single to left.

The Reds tied it in the seventh. Larkin led off with a double to left. Sean Casey got him in with a single to center.

The Dodgers got the lead right back in their half of the seventh against Felix Heredia. Robin Ventura led off with a double over the first base bag. Casey just missed making a diving stop.

"In the eighth or ninth, (I guard the line)," Miley said. "I never done it in my life in the seventh with no outs."

Ventura scored on Adrian Beltre's single to right. Ventura beat Mateo's throw to the plate, but he slid past the plate and it appeared on replays that LaRue's tag got him.

It was the first run Heredia had allowed since July 4. It ended a streak of 14 scoreless innings.

The Reds put the first two runners on in the eighth. Mateo walked and went to third on pinch-hitter Russell Branyan's single. The Dodgers brought in lefty Tom Martin to replace Paul Shuey.

Martin struck out pinch-hitter Reggie Taylor. Paul Quantrill then came on to face D'Angelo Jimenez. Jimenez hit into a 6-4-3 double play. That ended the inning, and for that matter, the game.

Not scoring in the eighth meant the Reds would be facing closer Eric Gagne in the ninth. Gagne had converted 44 straight saves.

He made it 45 in row with a 1-2-3 ninth. Brandon Larson, fresh up from Louisville, struck out for the fourth time to end it.

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
DJimenez 2b	3	0	0	0	1	0	.314
Larkin ss	3	1	1	0	0	0	.271
Olmedo ss	1	0	0	0	0	0	.303
Casey 1b	4	0	1	1	0	0	.294
Larson 3b	4	0	0	0	0	4	.097
Dunn lf	3	0	0	0	0	2	.216
LaRue c	3	0	0	0	0	2	.244
RMateo rf	1	0	0	0	2	0	.250
WPena cf	2	0	0	0	0	0	.154
Branyan ph	1	0	1	0	0	0	.250
Reitsma p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.125
JoAcevedo p	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Riedling p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.235
JCastro ph	1	0	1	0	0	0	.253
Heredia p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Taylor ph-cf	1	0	0	0	0	1	.191
Totals	28	1	4	1	3	10

Los Angeles	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
DRoberts cf	4	0	0	0	0	0	.247
Izturis ss	3	0	0	0	1	1	.244
ShGreen rf	3	0	1	0	1	0	.265
Burnitz lf	4	1	1	1	0	1	.257
Lo Duca c	4	0	2	0	0	0	.294
Ventura 1b	2	1	2	0	2	0	.286
Beltre 3b	4	0	2	1	0	0	.225
Cora 2b	3	0	0	0	0	1	.231
OPerez p	2	0	0	0	0	0	.026
Coomer ph	0	0	0	0	1	0	.220
Shuey p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
TMartin p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Quantrill p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Gagne p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Totals	29	2	8	2	5	3

Cincinnati	000	000	100	-1	4	0
Los Angeles	010	000	10x	-2	8	0

HR-Burnitz (22), off JoAcevedo. RBIs-Casey (60), Burnitz (54), Beltre (45). S-Cora. GIDP-DJimenez, Lo Duca, OPerez.

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
JoAcevedo	3	4	1	1	1	1	42	2.67
Riedling	2	1	0	0	0	1	25	5.14
Heredia L, 5-1	2	2	1	1	3	0	36	2.62
Reitsma	1	1	0	0	1	1	20	4.20

Los Angeles	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
OPerez W, 7-9	7	3	1	1	2	8	92	4.52
Shuey	0	1	0	0	1	0	5	2.20
TMartin H, 18	1/3	0	0	0	0	1	4	3.38
Quantrill H, 16	2/3	0	0	0	0	0	2	1.61
Gagne S, 37	1	0	0	0	0	1	12	1.64

Shuey pitched to 2 batters in the 8th.

Inherited runners-scored-TMartin 2-0, Quantrill 2-0.

T-2:34. A-31,828 (56,000).

How the runs scored:

Dodgers second. Burnitz homered to left on a 2-1 count. Lo Duca singled to center. Ventura walked on a full count, Lo Duca to second. Beltre singled to left, Lo Duca to third, Ventura to second. Cora flied out to left fielder Dunn. Perez grounded into a double play, pitcher Acevedo to catcher LaRue to first baseman Casey, Lo Duca out.

1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Dodgers 1, Reds 0.

Reds seventh. Larkin doubled to left. Casey singled to center, Larkin scored. Larson struck out. Dunn flied out to center fielder Roberts. LaRue struck out.

1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Dodgers 1, Reds 1.

Dodgers seventh. Olmedo in as shortstop. Ventura doubled to right. Beltre singled to center, Ventura scored. Cora sacrificed, first baseman Casey to second baseman Jimenez, Beltre to second. Coomer pinch-hitting for Perez. Coomer was intentionally walked. Roberts lined out to right fielder Mateo. Izturis walked, Beltre to third, Coomer to second. Green grounded out, second baseman Jimenez to first baseman Casey.

1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. Dodgers 2, Reds 1.