Hideo Nomo is again largely being portrayed as the victim of poor run support. But after the second inning, he did not pitch well.

In the third, Nomo allowed two hits and a walk but was saved when Jake Peavy bunted into a double play.

In the fourth, Nomo allowed a home run and a double, forcing Jim Tracy to have him intentionally walk the No. 8 hitter on the Padres, Gary Bennett, to get out of the inning.

In the fifth, Nomo allowed three consecutive singles for a run, and would have allowed more if not for his unbelievable catch of a scorching line drive by Rondell White. To be fair, Nomo should get credit for that catch, but still, it's hard to praise the pitching.

In the sixth, Nomo allowed a walk and single. He had Ramon Vasquez down 0-2, nearly struck him out at 2-2, but ended up walking him and then Mark Loretta to force in the Padres' third run.

Totals for the game: 29 batters faced by Nomo, 15 baserunners allowed.

I'll make the same point today that I made Saturday. No, the offense isn't good, but the pitching isn't so flawless either. Everyone has room for improvement (except, so far, most of the bullpen) and it won't help the Dodgers if all the pressure comes down on the batters.