A 5-0 Lead for Dodgers Turns Into a 9-5 Defeat as Daniels, Reds Rally

Kal Daniels came off the bench to hit a two-run double in the seventh inning, breaking a 5-5 tie Saturday night and leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 9-5 victory over the Dodgers.

Pete Rose, Cincinnati player-manager, said the Reds are a different team when they can play Daniels, who has been hampered in recent weeks by a pulled hamstring.

“You’ll see very few hitters coming along like Kal Daniels,” Rose said. “I mean, he’s like (outfielder Eric) Davis. He’s got to be in the lineup every day.”

Eddie Milner followed Daniels with a single that scored Tom Browning for the Reds’ eighth run. Browning ran for Daniels, who is recovering from a pulled hamstring.

Milner finished the evening with three hits and three RBIs.

“I’ve always been a real strong finisher,” Milner said. “That’s always been one of my fortes. I cool off in June and July and heat up toward the end.”

Buddy Bell singled home Ron Oester in the eighth to make the score 9-5.

Dodger reliever Dennis Powell (2-6) took the loss. Rob Murphy (3-0) won in relief.

The Dodgers scored the first five runs of the game but did not cross the plate after the third inning.

“We scored five runs, then quit,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said. “With five runs we would have won a lot of games this year.”

Alex Trevino hit a double to right field with the bases loaded in the second to score the first three Dodger runs. Two outs later, Steve Sax extended his hitting streak to 18 games by singling home Trevino. Sax, who went 2 for 5 and maintained his .328 average, is tied with Montreal’s Tim Raines for second-highest average in the National League. Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres leads the league with a .335 average.

The Dodgers added a run in the third to lead, 5-0, when Franklin Stubbs doubled, scoring Bill Madlock and finishing the evening for Red starter Mike Smith.

The Dodgers failed to score again.

“That just goes to show some of the fans here, and some of the other people, that we never give up, even after losing to Houston last week,” Milner said.

The Reds scored four runs in the bottom of the third, chasing Dodger starter Alejandro Pena, who has not registered a decision in three starts against the Reds this season. Sal Butera brought in the Reds’ first two runs in the inning with a one-out double.

Milner followed with a run-scoring triple, cutting the Dodger lead to 5-3. That was followed by a run-scoring single by Dave Concepcion.

The Reds tied the game in the fifth when Milner singled home Dave Parker. Parker reached base on a fielder’s choice after Buddy Bell singled to lead off the inning. Parker advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a ground-out by Butera.