Yes, they are the l-o-o-o-o-o-sing team: Dodgers clinch season sub-.500 record with 7-5 loss

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It’s official now, the 2010 Dodgers are losers.

Shocking, no doubt.

The Dodgers needed to sweep the Diamondbacks in this weekend’s final series to finish 81-81, but fell Friday night, 7-5, to Arizona to assure a sub-.500 season.

And any Joe Torre naysayers will have to look elsewhere to place the blame for this loss. Torre let retiring catcher Brad Ausmus manage Friday. Saturday it will be Jamey Carroll’s turn.

The big problem for the Dodgers (78-82) in the second half has been the lack of hitting, and they managed more runs than hits (four) Friday.

It was just a night full of shocking news.

All going on -- or not going on -- while John Ely continued his struggles as a starter.

Ely lasted only 4 2/3 innings, giving u all seven runs on seven hits and three walks. Since starting the season 6-2, he’s gone 2-8. And right now, he is a candidate for the Dodgers’ 2011 rotation.

The final blow Friday came in the fifth inning after Ely (4-10) gave up a two-run homer to Adam LaRoche. Showing off his managerial skills, Ausmus took Ely out on a double switch.

The Dodgers scored their first run off rookie Zach Kroenke, a reliever making his first career start, in the fourth via the strange closing week of Matt Kemp.

Kemp hit a solo home run just inside the left-field foul pole. It was his team-leading 26th home run of the season and third in three games. This after hitting one home run in his previous 31 games.

Kroenke went five innings to pick up the victory. He became the fifth rookie pitcher to earn his first career victory against the Dodgers this season.

-- Steve Dilbeck