DODGERS NOTEBOOK: MONDESI DROPPED TO SIXTH IN BATTING ORDER.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer When Dodgers right fielder right fielder n. Baseball The player who defends right field. Noun 1. right fielder - the person who plays right field outfielder - (baseball) a person who plays in the outfield Raul Mondesi was yanked from the clean-up spot in Milwaukee in late April, he made his displeasure known. In the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of one of his worst slumps, Mondesi again was dropped from fourth in the order. But this time it wasn't to fifth. For the first time since a pair of at-bats during the 1997 season, Mondesi, who homered once in 96 at-bats heading into Tuesday's game at 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. , batted sixth. The move comes during Mondesi's longest home run drought of the season - 58 at-bats. The swoon has dropped his average to .261, though he still leads the Dodgers with 19 homers and 50 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 . ``He's struggling,'' Dodgers manager Davey Johnson Eric Karros Still, Johnson won't sit by and watch a stagnant offense any longer, especially since June is traditionally Mondesi's strongest month. In the last five seasons, he's batted .318 in June, but so far this month he's hitting .205 (18 for 88) with one homer, six RBI and a .263 on-base percentage. This after Mondesi hit .264 with eight homers and 17 RBI in May and .305 with 10 homers and 27 RBI in April. ``Whatever mix works for the ballclub, that's what I care about,'' Johnson said. ``I just want what works.'' Keeping it in the Park: Chan Ho Park and pitching coach Claude Osteen The topics weren't limited to Park's 19 home runs allowed, or his 3-2/3 innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is in the game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. in Sunday's start at 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 . They also discussed Park's pitch selection. ``Everybody's going to hit him if he goes to the location he's going to,'' Osteen said. ``A very small percentage of home runs come off good pitches. It's not only bad pitches, it's bad location.'' Osteen said mechanics aren't the reason why Park is 4-6 with a 5.54 ERA, especially after watching him throw in the bullpen. Osteen said Park throws on the side with pinpoint accuracy to all areas of the strike zone. Instead, Osteen offered the three-run homer J.T. Snow hit as a perfect example of what's wrong with Park. ``J.T. Snow can be jammed, and the scouting report says that,'' Osteen said. ``But you can't jam anyone with two runners on with the first pitch. Good hitters have to be set up before they go to what I call the joy spot. He's thinking of the scouting report, which is J.T. Snow can be jammed.'' F.Y.I.: Todd Hollandsworth started in center field in place of Devon White (stiff neck). It's Hollandsworth's third straight start and fifth in six games. . . . In 74 games, the Dodgers have used 54 different lineups. . . . Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era , to be followed by fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to , is sold out. . . . Brennan King, the Dodgers' second pick in this year's amateur draft out of Oakland High in Murfreesboro, Tenn., was named to USA Today's All-USA high school baseball team. DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO Time: 7:35 p.m., at Qualcomm Stadium. TV/Radio: Fox Sports West 2; 1150-AM, KWKW-AM (1330 Spanish). Matchup: The Return, Part II. Last time Dodgers right-hander Kevin Brown (9-4, 2.89) pitched here he was booed unmercifully and serenaded by money-themed music throughout his 6-1/3 innings in which he allowed three runs. Brown helped the Padres to the NL pennant last season but left for L.A. when the Dodgers offered a seven-year, $105 million contract. He's lived up to his reputation and is leading the league in ERA and is third in wins. Right-hander Brian Boehringer (4-1, 2.77) starts for the Padres. Boehringer was in the Padres bullpen last season and began there this year until Stan Spencer faltered. - Brian Dohn CAPTION(S): Box BOX: DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO (see text) |
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