DODGERS CLEAR THE AIR OFFENSIVE SURGE CONTINUES WITH 15-HIT POUNDING DODGERS 16, CINCINNATI 2.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer CINCINNATI - Eric Karros Green was a 1st round draft pick, and has been a two-time major league All-Star. had three hits in 19 at-bats with runners in scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on , and yet few words were spoken of their early futility. Part of it is because Gary Sheffield
Gary Antonian Sheffield (born November 18, 1968 in Tampa, Florida) is a Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the Detroit Tigers. is crushing the baseball. The bigger reason is because the Dodgers have a deeper lineup than years past, and they're knocking opposing pitchers around despite the struggles of their fourth and fifth hitters. Karros showed signs of breaking out of his funk with a three-run homer and a double, and the bottom of the order again produced wonderfully as the Dodgers pounded three Cincinnati pitchers in a 16-2 pasting of the Reds on Saturday at Cinergy Field. Sheffield and Kevin Elster Elster played for six different ballclubs during his career: the New York Mets (1986-1992), New York Yankees (1994-1995), Philadelphia Phillies (1995), added two-run homers, and Todd Hollandsworth Todd Mathew Hollandsworth (born April 20, 1973 in Dayton, Ohio) is an outfielder in Major League Baseball. Previously, Hollandsworth played with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1995-2000), Colorado Rockies (2000-2002), Texas Rangers (2002), Florida Marlins (2003), Chicago Cubs started the game with a homer as the Dodgers backed Chan Ho Park with 15 hits. The 16 runs were the most the Dodgers scored since May 6, 1995, in a 17-11 win at Colorado. ``We got out of that smog in L.A. to clear our minds. We're road warriors,'' said Elster, alluding to the Dodgers averaging 7.5 runs per game on the road. ``I think, mentally, for our big guns, it's so nice the bottom is doing something. That way, they don't have to think they have to carry the load all the time.'' The lone downer down·er n. A depressant or sedative drug, such as a barbiturate or tranquilizer. for the Dodgers (10-6), who go for the three-game sweep today, was a blister Park developed that could knock him from his next start. ``Offensively, we go up against some pretty good pitchers, and we give them a different look all the time,'' Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said. ``Our lineup is not easy to pitch to. We scored a bunch (nine) of runs (Friday) without a major contribution from Sheff and Green. Sheff chipped in today, but Green was a little quiet, and we still scored a bunch of runs.'' The middle of the order - Sheffield, Green and Karros - offers the intimidation factor. But it's the sixth, seventh and eighth spots that's been so crucial in the Dodgers' early success. The three in the middle of the lineup are batting .337 with 13 homers, 36 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 and 34 runs scored. Todd Hundley (or his backup Chad Kreuter), Adrian Beltre and Kevin Elster, who comprise the bottom part of the order, are hitting .295 with 11 homers, 33 RBI and 37 runs scored. ``We have a lot of strengths in a lot of areas, where if we're not playing well we could still score runs,'' said Sheffield, who leads the club with seven homers, 16 RBI and a .382 average. ``You're ready to get back to the park the next day, you're so relaxed (when the whole order is producing). It's fun to be here when you have a team like we have, when you have the balance we have in our lineup.'' In winning the first two games of this series, the Dodgers scored 26 runs. Of course, they might need that many with lefty Carlos Perez going today. The support of Park began quickly against Pete Harnisch (0-2) when Hollandsworth hit his first homer of the season to lead off the first. Michael Tucker tied it in the bottom of the inning Noun 1. bottom of the inning - the second half of an inning; while the home team is at bat bottom inning, frame - (baseball) one of nine divisions of play during which each team has a turn at bat with a one-out homer, the only hit Park allowed in five innings. But in the second, Kreuter singled in a run and Elster homered for the second straight day, a two-run shot that gave the Dodgers a 4-1 lead. They broke it open with five runs in the fifth. GOING BATTY With 16, the Dodgers scored their highest run total Saturday since 1995. Following is a list of the team's highest single-game run total during each of the past five seasons. Date.............Opponent...Runs May 6, 1995......at COLO Colo Colorado (old style state abbreviation) COLO Columbus, Ohio COLO Co-Location COLO Colonial National Historic Park (US National Park Service) COLO Cost Of Living Option ....17 June 30, 1996....at COLO....15 July 4, 1997.....at COLO....14* April 30, 1998...at PITT....14 August 8, 1999...at NY......14** April 22, 2000...at CIN CIN cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) A term used to categorize degrees of dysplasia arising in the epithelium, or outer layer, of the cervix. .....16 * Also scored 14 against Pitt. on April 13. ** Also scored 14 against Sea. on July 11. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) Kevin Elster, left, is congratulated by Chad Kreuter afterElster's two-run home run Saturday in Cincinnati. Al Behrman/Associated Press Box: GOING BATTY (see text) |
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