LOS ANGELES -- Again the Dodgers were in position to sweep a series with a top starter taking the ball, and for the second time in less than a week, they couldn't close the deal.

In Colorado on Sunday, it was Derek Lowe. At Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, it was Brad Penny, as the Dodgers were wiped out by the Mets, 12-1, only their second loss in the past 12 games.

"When you win the first two games, you get a little greedy," said manager Joe Torre. "You need to ride a hot streak as long as you can. We appeared a little flat. Then again, [Mets starter] John Maine was responsible for us being flat."

Maine took a two-hitter into the ninth inning and fell two outs short of a complete-game shutout, while the 10 runs Penny allowed were the most of his career. He left during the fifth inning as the Mets were batting around for the second time.

"I wish I knew," Torre said when asked what went wrong with Penny. "It wasn't very good. Hopefully, we won't see that for a while. He got in bad-count situations and paid the price."

Penny's second consecutive tough outing -- he walked four in five innings in Colorado -- is an indicator that the club's starting pitching has wavered even during the club's two-week hot streak.

Penny's 4 2/3-inning losing start came one game after Hiroki Kuroda's 3 1/3-inning no-decision. Chad Billingsley has had the only quality start in the past five games, while the starting ERA in the other four games is 12.91.

Esteban Loaiza, who came out of the rotation after his start on Saturday in Colorado lasted only 2 1/3 innings, was placed on the disabled list after Wednesday's game with tightness and a spasm in his right shoulder blade. He will be replaced on the roster by Friday, most likely by another pitcher, Yhency Brazoban being the top candidate.

The short starts "are going to catch up with you," said Torre. "Billingsley started the seventh inning the other night, but now we have to piece it together a little bit. Unless you get deeper, you're asking a lot from your bullpen. You can't continue going to the well."

Torre went to the well with Chan Ho Park and got three perfect innings of relief when the game was out of hand. But he also went to the well in the fifth inning when the game was still winnable and Penny couldn't stop the bleeding.

Scott Proctor was rushed into duty, issued a bases-loaded walk to the first batter he faced, Luis Castillo, then gave up a two-run double to David Wright and a wild pitch to allow another run before getting the final out. Proctor also allowed a home run to Ryan Church leading off the sixth inning. Proctor's 5.94 ERA is the highest on the staff.

"I've got to be able to finish that inning off," said Penny. "Proctor, he had no business being in that game in the fifth inning. Everything that could go wrong, did."

After the game, Proctor and coaches Rick Honeycutt and Ken Howell met briefly with Torre. Proctor pitched for Torre with the Yankees.

In addition to three walks, Penny allowed 10 hits, keeping the ball in the park but often being unable to put away Mets hitters. Eight of the hits were singles, and a handful of those were bloops and broken bats.

"Today, I didn't give the team a chance to win," said Penny. "I fell behind early. Ryan Church broke his bat in the second. I threw the pitcher a curveball off the plate and he stuck his bat out and got a [two-run] hit. [Former Dodger Marlon] Anderson checked his swing [for a double]. A lot of things went against me today. It just happens. A lot of foul balls killed me on the pitch count."

While the Mets' six-run fifth inning chased Penny and turned the game into a blowout, their four-run second inning that included Anderson's double set the tone. Four Mets had two RBIs.

The first base runner of that fifth inning was Church, awarded first base by plate umpire Jim Joyce, who not only ruled that Penny's inside fastball nicked Church's jersey, but interpreted the pitch as retaliation for a 96 mph Maine fastball that buzzed under the chin of Jeff Kent the previous inning and warned both clubs. Maine hit Kent in the head with a pitch last year. Penny said his pitch actually missed Church, catcher Russell Martin said he thought it might have nicked him.

"But they were hitting us pretty good, and we were just trying to go inside," Martin said.