Turnin 2 SS 2b
05-23-2002, 08:44 AM
MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers turned back the clock Wednesday night to 1955. The Dodgers wished they could have turned it back just 24 hours.
Instead, the Dodgers picked up the pieces of the win that got away Tuesday night, eeking out a 1-0 decision over the last-place Brewers.
This time, manager Jim Tracy used Omar Daal to protect a lead provided by another extra-base hit from a revived Shawn Green. This time, he was able to deploy closer Eric Gagne to slam the door.
There was no second-guessing this time, as Tracy heeded his own advice to play one game at a time without worrying whether he'll need a long reliever for Kazuhisa Ishii on Thursday. He'll worry about that Thursday.
So instead of triggering a tailspin, Tuesday night's disaster apparently served as a wake-up call for a Dodger team that cannot afford to take any win for granted, as appeared to be the case Tuesday.
Shawn Green
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 190
Position: RF
Bats/Throws: L/L
More info:
Player page
Stats
Hit chart
dodgers.com
"The fact that this was a close game is an even better result than having a big offensive night," said Green, whose one-out triple in the third inning scored Adrian Beltre for the game's only run. "After losing a tough one, winning a tough one gets us back into the right frame of mind."
The game was billed as a throwback to the year the Dodgers won their first world's title, but while the Brewers came out in baggy Milwaukee Braves uniforms, the Dodgers declined to take part, citing company policy for not wearing Brooklyn uniforms.
Of course, there's no Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider or Gil Hodges in this lineup. So in fitting tribute to the boys of this summer, the Dodgers scored only one run and it was a gift.
Beltre reached base on a strike out when Ben Sheets' pitch hit the dirt and catcher Paul Bako didn't block it and couldn't find it. It was right behind him and when he picked it up, he wasn't in much of a hurry to get it to first base and Beltre beat the throw.
Green, who homered twice Tuesday night, ripped his triple down the right-field line. Jeffrey Hammonds tried to cut it off, but ran into the wall instead, and he needed a couple tries to get a handle on the ball, then hit the wall with his arm as he threw a wet rag into the infield.
"That made my decision easy," said third-base coach Glenn Hoffman, who scored Beltre without a play.
Although Green struck out twice, he said he is confident his swing is returning. His last four hits have been for extra bases.
"I just feel a lot better," he said. "Even striking out, I felt great at the plate. I'm more in control of my at-bats and that's a good sign for me."
The staff's sixth shutout of the year was a four-pitcher effort, starting with winner Hideo Nomo (4-5), who had his best start in three weeks. He struck out seven and walked three in six scoreless innings after posting a 7.63 ERA in his three previous starts, leading to speculation he might be sent to the bullpen. Nomo said he didn't think he pitched any differently than previous games, but Tracy sounded relieved.
"That's a huge boost for him at a time when people were assuming I was leaning toward moving the guy out of the rotation," said Tracy. "Those words never came out of my mouth. I said don't give up on my player. They don't like to be bad for too long a period of time, and they do something about it."
Nomo, however, allowed base runners every inning. With home-run hero Geoff Jenkins leading off the seventh, Tracy returned to his formula for success and brought in Daal, who got four outs, then Paul Quantrill, who got two.
Mark Grudzielanek
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185
Position: 2B
Bats/Throws: R/R
More info:
Player page
Stats
Hit chart
dodgers.com
The first was a clutch defensive play, with Mark Grudzielanek slapping a difficult tag after taking Paul Lo Duca's throw to catch Alex Sanchez sleeping. Eric Gagne fanned Richie Sexson and Jenkins to wrap up his 15th save.
Tracy cited defense as a key to the win. In addition to the caught stealing of Sanchez, Green and Lo Duca combined to nail Jenkins at the plate trying to tag on Bako's fly out to end the second inning, and Brian Jordan made a diving catch on Eric Young's sinking liner and doubled Sanchez off second to end the third inning.
The series ends with a day game Thursday, Ishii testing his tender hip flexor muscle. Then come three games in Arizona against the first-place Diamondbacks.
"The Arizona series is big, but we can't take these guys for granted," said Lo Duca. "We'll have to bring our best to beat Johnson and Schilling, but tomorrow's game is just as big."
Instead, the Dodgers picked up the pieces of the win that got away Tuesday night, eeking out a 1-0 decision over the last-place Brewers.
This time, manager Jim Tracy used Omar Daal to protect a lead provided by another extra-base hit from a revived Shawn Green. This time, he was able to deploy closer Eric Gagne to slam the door.
There was no second-guessing this time, as Tracy heeded his own advice to play one game at a time without worrying whether he'll need a long reliever for Kazuhisa Ishii on Thursday. He'll worry about that Thursday.
So instead of triggering a tailspin, Tuesday night's disaster apparently served as a wake-up call for a Dodger team that cannot afford to take any win for granted, as appeared to be the case Tuesday.
Shawn Green
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 190
Position: RF
Bats/Throws: L/L
More info:
Player page
Stats
Hit chart
dodgers.com
"The fact that this was a close game is an even better result than having a big offensive night," said Green, whose one-out triple in the third inning scored Adrian Beltre for the game's only run. "After losing a tough one, winning a tough one gets us back into the right frame of mind."
The game was billed as a throwback to the year the Dodgers won their first world's title, but while the Brewers came out in baggy Milwaukee Braves uniforms, the Dodgers declined to take part, citing company policy for not wearing Brooklyn uniforms.
Of course, there's no Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider or Gil Hodges in this lineup. So in fitting tribute to the boys of this summer, the Dodgers scored only one run and it was a gift.
Beltre reached base on a strike out when Ben Sheets' pitch hit the dirt and catcher Paul Bako didn't block it and couldn't find it. It was right behind him and when he picked it up, he wasn't in much of a hurry to get it to first base and Beltre beat the throw.
Green, who homered twice Tuesday night, ripped his triple down the right-field line. Jeffrey Hammonds tried to cut it off, but ran into the wall instead, and he needed a couple tries to get a handle on the ball, then hit the wall with his arm as he threw a wet rag into the infield.
"That made my decision easy," said third-base coach Glenn Hoffman, who scored Beltre without a play.
Although Green struck out twice, he said he is confident his swing is returning. His last four hits have been for extra bases.
"I just feel a lot better," he said. "Even striking out, I felt great at the plate. I'm more in control of my at-bats and that's a good sign for me."
The staff's sixth shutout of the year was a four-pitcher effort, starting with winner Hideo Nomo (4-5), who had his best start in three weeks. He struck out seven and walked three in six scoreless innings after posting a 7.63 ERA in his three previous starts, leading to speculation he might be sent to the bullpen. Nomo said he didn't think he pitched any differently than previous games, but Tracy sounded relieved.
"That's a huge boost for him at a time when people were assuming I was leaning toward moving the guy out of the rotation," said Tracy. "Those words never came out of my mouth. I said don't give up on my player. They don't like to be bad for too long a period of time, and they do something about it."
Nomo, however, allowed base runners every inning. With home-run hero Geoff Jenkins leading off the seventh, Tracy returned to his formula for success and brought in Daal, who got four outs, then Paul Quantrill, who got two.
Mark Grudzielanek
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185
Position: 2B
Bats/Throws: R/R
More info:
Player page
Stats
Hit chart
dodgers.com
The first was a clutch defensive play, with Mark Grudzielanek slapping a difficult tag after taking Paul Lo Duca's throw to catch Alex Sanchez sleeping. Eric Gagne fanned Richie Sexson and Jenkins to wrap up his 15th save.
Tracy cited defense as a key to the win. In addition to the caught stealing of Sanchez, Green and Lo Duca combined to nail Jenkins at the plate trying to tag on Bako's fly out to end the second inning, and Brian Jordan made a diving catch on Eric Young's sinking liner and doubled Sanchez off second to end the third inning.
The series ends with a day game Thursday, Ishii testing his tender hip flexor muscle. Then come three games in Arizona against the first-place Diamondbacks.
"The Arizona series is big, but we can't take these guys for granted," said Lo Duca. "We'll have to bring our best to beat Johnson and Schilling, but tomorrow's game is just as big."