"If this was Hiroki Kuroda's final start with the Dodgers, his teammates gave him the kind of sendoff to which he has become accustomed:

A wholly inoffensive one.

Kuroda, the frequent subject of trade rumors as Sunday's deadline for non-waiver deals draws near, allowed one run in six innings Wednesday night. That was, of course, one too many, as the Dodgers lost 3-1 to Colorado, ending a four-game winning streak.

It was the 10th time the Dodgers have scored fewer than three runs in a start by Kuroda, who now has a 6-13 record despite a very presentable 3.11 ERA. The surprise isn't that he's lost eight of those games, it's that he actually managed to win two of them.

"I think you do feel bad to a point" for Kuroda, said Manager Don Mattingly. "Because at the end, he gets the L. That's the toughest part. You look at his record, and it doesn't look like he's pitched well, but I think anybody that's been here all year long knows he's pitched extremely well."

That, Mattingly knows, is why contenders are interested in adding Kuroda.

"I know it's part of the business," he said. "Guys of his stature that pitch the way he does, anybody that would have him would know that this guy's going to keep you in every game.

"You hate to lose one of your guys. ... He's pitched really well for us and he's part of this organization. You really want what's best for him as much as anything."

Kuroda allowed six hits and three walks (one intentional) in his six innings, but the Rockies were 1 for 8 against him with runners in scoring position, stranding eight runners."