DODGERS NOTEBOOK : DODGERS SHOWING PATIENCE WITH MONDESI.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

His on-base percentage is finally, if barely, acceptable. He walked the other day after falling behind in the count 0-2. He was 2 for 4 on Friday.

Raul Mondesi is learning how to hit in the No. 3 spot. And the Dodgers have all sorts of patience.

``He's all right,'' Dodgers hitting coach Reggie Smith

Carl Reginald Smith (born April 2, 1945 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, coach and front office executive. During a 17-year big league career (1967-1982), Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs and batted .287. said Saturday. ``He's getting better and he's going to get better. He's seeing more pitches. He's getting more walks. That's a start.

``There are times when he's been a little impatient. He will need to improve that.''

Mondesi, a career .269 hitter in April, struck out for a team-high 11th time Friday. But in the fifth inning in·ning
n.
1.
a. Baseball One of nine divisions or periods of a regulation game, in which each team has a turn at bat as limited by three outs.

b. innings (used with a sing. , with Brett Butler Brett Butler can refer to different people:

Brett Butler (comedian), the actress/author/comedian.
Brett Butler (baseball player)
Brett Butler (voice actor), the voice of "Dr. Quinn" on Sealab 2021.

on second base, Mondesi singled. He then scored what turned out to be the winning run on Mike Piazza's homer as the Dodgers beat the Astros 5-2.

Mondesi, with his .232 average and .302 on-base percentage, is a large part of the reason why Piazza's home-run at-bat was just his seventh with a runner 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 this season. The free-swinging Mondesi has walked just five times.

Coming home It's no different for Larry Dierker

Lawrence Edward Dierker (born September 22 1946, in Hollywood, California) is a former pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball who had a 14-year pitching career from 1964 to 1977 and a five-year career managing the Houston Astros from 1997 to 2001. now as Astros manager than it was during his 17 years as a broadcaster for the team. When the Astros play the Dodgers, Dierker stays with his parents in Woodland Hills.

``It's a nice way to get to visit,'' said Dierker, who graduated from Taft High School in 1964.

Also: Former Dodgers general manager Al Campanis Alexander Sebastian Campanis (November 2, 1916 - June 21, 1998) was an American executive in Major League Baseball. He had a brief Major League career as a second baseman, playing in seven games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943. has attended both games in the series.

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Title Annotation:	SPORTS
Publication:	Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:	Apr 20, 1997
Words:	260
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