DODGERS CAN ONLY SPLIT : SAN DIEGO 6, DODGERS 3.Byline: Matt McHale Daily News Staff Writer Two steps forward, two steps back looks more and more like the Dodgers' dance of doom. After winning the first two games in their series with first-place San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , they finished with a split Sunday after Ken Caminiti It put the Dodgers back where they started the second half, 13-1/2 games behind In sports, the phrase games behind, often abbreviated as GB in tables, is a common way to reflect the gap between a leading team and another team in a sports league, conference, or division. the Padres in the National League West. Only now, they have four less games, heading into a three-game series with second-place San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . The Giants are the NL wild-card leader but also have struggled after the break, dropping three straight to Colorado. The Dodgers trail them by 6-1/2 games but say they are not playing for second place. ``It's important whenever you are playing teams in front of you to do well,'' Eric Karros Like a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the first inning. They already had scored two runs and had a chance to put away Padres starter Joey Hamilton Joseph Hamilton (born September 9, 1970 in Statesboro, Georgia), is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1994-2005. Teams
In addition to three homers and five 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 , it was the ninth time in his career that he had hit home runs from both sides of the plate, a National League record. Even in the ninth, the Dodgers got two hits against the Padres close-horse Trevor Hoffman Trevor William Hoffman (October 13, 1967 in Bellflower, California) is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the San Diego Padres since 1993. He bats and throws right-handed. and had the tying run at the plate. But Matt Luke Matthew Clifford Luke (born February 26, 1971 in Long Beach, California) is a former outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball. He attended college at the University of California and played for five different major league teams in his career: the New York Yankees, Los , the Dodgers' best pinch hitter, grounded into a game-ending double play and Hoffman had his 27th save in 27 opportunities. ``Sure you want to win more after you win the first two,'' said Dodgers manager Glenn Hoffman, who also is Trevor's brother. ``It could have been a nice roll, but we have to think about the Giants now. We aren't thinking about the wild card, we're just thinking about making a move on a team we need to beat.'' The Dodgers lost even though Tony Gwynn, the Padres' eight-time batting champion, went 0 for 3 to extend his hitless streak to a career-high 0 for 17. But Caminiti, the 1996 NL MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. who helped beat the Dodgers on the final weekend of that season to the win the West, made Gwynn's slump seem insignificant. He hit a two-run homer in the first off left-hander Brian Bohanon, who was making his first start as a Dodger. In the third, Bohanon (2-3), acquired Friday from the Mets for Greg McMichael, appeared to be out of trouble when he got Gwynn to ground into a double play. But Caminiti drove a 2-1 pitch down and away into the right-field stands. ``I was happy with that pitch,'' said Bohanon, who will stay in the rotation for now because the Dodgers have one day off until Aug. 10. ``It's the one I wanted to make, but he went and got it.'' Caminiti turned around to bat left-handed against Antonio Osuna with one out and one on in the eighth. Again he went with the pitch and drove it into the lower left-field stands for his third of the game and 15th of the season. ``It was a big day for me,'' he said. ``It feels good especially because I've been struggling. If you try to hit three home runs, it's not going to happen. I could get the same pitches and have different results. Everything just fell into place and it was a big day.'' The only thing wrong with Caminiti's explanation was that part about struggling. He entered the game 19 for 41 in his past 12 games with six doubles, two homers and nine RBI. Sunday, he tied Chili Davis for third on the list of players who have hit home runs from both sides of the plate in one game. Eddie Murray is the leader with 11 followed by Mickey Mantle (10). More important for the Padres, he helped get them back on the right track. ``After losing the first two, you have to be very satisfied with the split,'' Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. ``It's important for the psyche of the club. You have to give our guys credit.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Newly acquired Dodgers pitcher Brian Bohanon gave up two of Ken Caminiti's three homers. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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