There’s no meeting of offense in Dodgers’ 4-3 loss in 11 innings

Fresh off that team meeting, Manager Don Mattingly unveiled his new batting order Friday.

Then, for four innings, watched it wallow along, still unable to manufacture any offense. Do they have meetings about meetings?

With Matt Kemp back in the lineup and batting cleanup, the Dodgers went out and managed just six hits in the 11 innings of their 4-3 loss Friday to the Diamondbacks before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 37,622 that kept them 4 1/2 games back of the Giants in the National League West.

The Dodgers lost for the fifth time in their last six game -- and eighth consecutive to the Diamondbacks -- when reliever Matt Guerrier gave up a solo home run to the first batter he had faced since April 18.

Jason Kubel hit the solo shot inside the right-field foul pole to lead off the 11th. Guerrier, the Dodgers’ fifth pitcher, had just come off the disabled list Thursday after missing almost the entire season with elbow tendinitis.

The Dodgers did not exactly look rejuvenated early, that postgame meeting from Thursday seemingly failing to ignite any spark.

The Diamondbacks took the early lead, scoring once in the second inning after Andre Ethier lost Chris Johnson’s fly ball in the stadium lights. The ball landed behind an awkward looking Ethier for a triple, scoring Miguel Montero from first.

It remained a 1-0 game until the Diamondbacks scored two more off Aaron Harang in the fifth. Johnson blooped a double and scored when Arizona right-hander Trevor Cahill bounced a single into center.

Aaron Hill doubled home Cahill with a drive into the right-center gap, and Arizona had a 3-0 lead. The way the Dodgers’ offense has been rolling, that seemed a reasonably intimidating lead.

But the Dodgers finally put together a rally in the bottom of the inning after Luis Cruz singled with two outs. Cahill hit A.J. Ellis with a pitch and pinch-hitter Nick Punto beat out an infield hit to load the bases.

Mark Ellis finally gave the Dodgers the big hit that had been evading them of late, hitting a sharp bouncer into left to score two.

The Dodgers tied the score in the sixth after Kemp -- whom Mattingly switched in the lineup with Gonzalez to put right-handed hitters Kemp and Hanley Ramirez between left-handed hitters Gonzalez and Ethier -- walked with one out.

Kemp, who had missed two games with various bruises after taking on the Coors Field outfield wall one time too many, stole second and advanced to third on a Ramirez fly. Diamondbacks Manager Kirk Gibson brought in left-hander Brad Ziegler to pitch to Ethier, who sliced a single into left to score Kemp.

Harang gave up three runs and five hits in his five innings. The Dodgers got two scoreless innings from both Shawn Tolleson and Ronald Belisario, and one from Brandon League.

The Dodgers turned a season-high four double plays, including a sterling one started by a diving Cruz in the ninth.

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