DREIFORT FALLS APART; DODGERS CAN'T HOLD 3-RUN LEAD : PITTSBURGH 5, DODGERS 4.Byline: Matt McHale Daily News Staff Writer The education of Darren Dreifort There was preserving the momentum of the season's longest road trip. There was running the bases and fielding his position. And there was the hope he would pitch into the late innings even though he was making only his third start of the season. Dreifort whiffed at all four in the Dodgers' 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates This article is about the baseball team. For the National Hockey League team, see Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL). For the National Football League team (1933–1940), see Pittsburgh Steelers. in front of 15,491 at Three Rivers Stadium • • [ , but since it is only May the club hopes the experience will make him a better pitcher in September. ``It wasn't an easy game for him,'' said manager Bill Russell Noun 1. Bill Russell - United States basketball center (born in 1934) William Felton Russell, Russell , whose team had won five of six. ``But it was the kind of game you can learn from.'' Like what to do when your offense takes the rest of the night off after a building a three-run lead in the fifth inning. Or when they play poorly on defense for one of the few times this season. Dreifort, who made one of three Dodgers errors, took responsibility for the whole mess, which made him at least one fan in the opposing clubhouse. ``He's gutty,'' Pirates manager Gene Lamont Gene William Lamont (born December 25, 1946 in Rockford, Illinois) is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who managed the Chicago White Sox (1992-1995) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1997-2000). said. ``He looks like he'll be a good one.'' Dreifort's night ended with one out in the sixth. He retired Kevin Young Kevin Young may mean any of several people:
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 single by Chance Sanford Chance Steven Sanford (born June 2, 1972, in Houston, Texas) was a Major League Baseball infielder. Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 27th round of the 1992 MLB amateur draft, Sanford would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 30, and an RBI double by Lou Collier Louis Keith Collier (born August 21, 1973 in Chicago, Illinois) is an infielder/outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1997 through 2004. Collier bats and throws right handed. He was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 31st round of the 1992 amateur draft. buried him. Mark Guthrie came on and the Pirates tied the game on an infield out by Doug Strange. They scored the winning run when Guthrie couldn't handle an Eric Karros throw at the first base bag on Tony Womack's two-out infield hit, enabling Collier to cross home. ``To me, the turning point was Guillen's walk,'' Lamont said. ``Dreifort was ahead in the count and Guillen made him work. We took off from there.'' Through five innings, the issue didn't seem whether the Dodgers would win, but if they could get in nine innings. A light rain fell throughout the game, but it didn't bother the Dodgers, who scored a run in the third and fourth and two in the fifth. Dreifort was cruising, too, striking out seven in the first five innings and even scoring twice. He gave the Dodgers their first run, reaching on an error with one out in the third and scoring on a double by Eric Young. Pittsburgh, which has dropped 15 of its last 18 to the Dodgers at Three Rivers, tied the game in the third on an RBI double by Kevin Young. That scored Womack, who reached on a single, and went all the way to third on Dreifort's wild pickoff pick·off n. 1. Baseball A play in which a runner is caught off base and is put out by a quick throw, as from the pitcher or catcher. 2. Sports An interception, as in football. throw. The Dodgers got a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Karros. They added two more in the fifth when Eric Young doubled home Dreifort, who opened the inning with a single. Young, who has five hits in the first two games of the series, later scored on a sacrifice fly by Zeile. Dreifort (0-2) refused to say he was tired although he hasn't gone beyond five innings in a start this season. In fact, his longest outing was 5-1/3 innings in relief of Hideo Nomo on April 18. He also played down running the bases in the third and fifth, but pitching coach Goose Gregson said it may have contributed to later fatigue. ``He's such an aggressive guy, backing up throws and racing around the way he did,'' Gregson said. ``But this is someone who only has made three starts. He is probably in better shape than any of our starters. But the arm strength isn't there because he hasn't pitched enough.'' The Dodgers were hoping to get the bullpen some rest. Antonio Osuna remains in Mexico to tend to his ailing father and won't be back until Sunday. Instead, they used three relievers after using four in Thursday's 14-6 victory. They still have nine games left on this trip and don't have a day off until May 18. ``You could tell Darren was trying to keep us out of the game because we are short out there,'' reliever Jim Bruske said. ``It's tough. We understand Tony's situation, but we need to have him back or get someone here who can help us. Darren did what he could.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO DARREN DREIFORT Gave up eight hits and five runs in taking his second loss of the year. |
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