DODGERS' FOUR HOME RUNS BURN ASTROS : DODGERS 10, HOUSTON 5.Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer They take their first tentative step today. Off to the land of the American League American League (AL) One of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the U.S. and Canada designated as major leagues; the other is the National League (NL). , where teams dispense with those wimpy Wimpy sloppily dressed comic strip character; always “forgets” to pay for hamburgers. [Comics: “Popeye” in Horn, 657–658] See : Irresponsibility sacrifice bunts, play for four runs an inning rather than one, and trust Mark McGwire
Are the Dodgers and their hiccup hiccup or hiccough, involuntary spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm followed by a sharp intake of air, which is abruptly stopped by a sudden, involuntary closing of the glottis (opening between the vocal cords); the consequent blocking of air offense really ready for interleague play Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in 1997. Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season. , which they'll begin tonight against the A's in Oakland? Much too soon to tell, but they seemed to be priming for the opportunity Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. They pounded four home runs - yes, that's right; blink twice and read it again - on the way to a 10-4 victory over the Houston Astros. A crowd of 52,873 fans showed up for free beach towels and got much, much more - cause to wave them wildly rather than grumble and boo. Raul Mondesi, getting into this American League spirit, hit two home runs and drove in five runs. And Mike Piazza provided the finishing touch, launching a three-run blast to left in the eighth inning off former Burroughs High and UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX left-hander Mike Magnante. The home-run complement of four was a Dodgers season high and boosted their total to 57. It might not be wise to inform them just yet that Oakland already has 87 homers. Mixed in with the Mondesi and Piazza exhibitions was a solo home run by Eric Karros, plus a sacrifice fly by Karros that lifted the Dodgers out of a 4-4 tie in the fifth inning. The effort was significant because Karros' night began with a demotion de·mote tr.v. de·mot·ed, de·mot·ing, de·motes To reduce in grade, rank, or status. [de- + (pro)mote. . Manager Bill Russell, desperate for some semblance of offensive life, continued to tinker with his batting order, using his 23rd different lineup in the Dodgers' past 25 games. This one bumped Karros, the Dodgers' erstwhile cleanup man, down to the sixth spot and positioned Todd Zeile in the No. 4 hole for the first time since joining the Dodgers this season. Karros, who huffed before the game, ``I could really care less about where I'm hitting right now,'' shook off much of his recent frustration with the night's performance. The sacrifice fly was particularly noteworthy, since it found Karros, who has been booed this homestand for his failures in the clutch, coming through in an RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in situation. His lineup slide was due primarily to the fact his batting average with runners in scoring position Batting Average with Runners in Scoring Position (abbreviated BA/RISP or BA/RSP) is a baseball statistic derived by dividing a players hits with runners on second or third base by his at bats with runners in scoring position. had slumped to .180 (11 for 61). He had driven in only 14 of the 79 batters he had found at second and third. ``You do it just to hope to turn things around,'' Russell said of his lineup juggling. ``You've got to try to score some runs. That's what it's about here. Our pitching is good enough. ``Eric's struggling right now driving in runs. We all know that. So we'll try this. . . . He always seems to turn it up a notch at this point, and the numbers are there at the end. All we can do is keep putting him in the lineup. Hopefully, he'll get started.'' The Dodgers, in a refreshing break from their norm, got started early, as Mondesi sent a Mike Hampton pitch over the left-field wall for the three-run home run to left in the first inning. All the inning's runs were unearned, since third baseman Sean Berry bobbled Brett Butler's leadoff grounder for an error. Houston didn't seem the least bit daunted daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin by the Dodgers' early outburst, though. The Astros scored a run in each of the first, third, fourth and fifth innings off Chan Ho Park, which resulted in a 4-4 tie through 4-1/2 innings. Doing much of the damage were Houston's usual suspects. Craig Biggio hit a home run and also walked and scored, while Jeff Bagwell drove in two runs with a double and a single. The two have been raking the Dodgers throughout the three-game series, however. They entered this game with nine hits in 19 at-bats, five RBI and four doubles. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Raul Mondesi is congratulated by Dodgers teammates Brett Butler and Todd Zeile after hitting a three-run homer in the first. Associated Press |
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