Daniels Gets Even, Powers Dodgers, 8-4

Kal Daniels can smile, after all.

After two days as a Dodger, during which Daniels helped lose two games with his defensive lapses, Daniels finally is a hero.

It happened Saturday night. With the Dodgers leading, 3-2, and the bases loaded in the seventh, he slapped a ball to right field to score two runs and break open a game that eventually became an 8-4 victory before a crowd of 31,106 at Three Rivers Stadium.

“Do you know that was my first RBI in a Dodger uniform?” Daniels said. “And to get not one, but two . . . that makes me feel that much better.”

At least one other person knew the feeling. Lenny Harris, who was traded to the Dodgers by Cincinnati along with Daniels Tuesday, was on second base when Daniels got his hit. Displaying speed not seen around the Dodgers lately, he scored easily.

“That was for Kal, and all he’s already been through,” Harris said. “I was going to score no matter what. I would have knocked the catcher down to score. I would have run through the catcher to score.

“Kal has been going through hell. Tonight, things evened up a little.”

Since they saw their five-game winning streak end June 16, the Dodgers’ longest string has been two games, and they have had only three of those.

This time, the Dodgers’ second straight victory moved them into a fourth-place tie with Cincinnati, 13 games behind the National League West-leading San Francisco Giants. It’s the first time the Dodgers have been out of fifth place since July 2.

Daniels also started a fourth-inning rally by drawing a walk. He then scored on a three-run home run by Mike Marshall, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

Said Daniels, of his two-run single: “Now I’ve got this hit, maybe everything can fall into place. You can never put (the defensive lapses) out of your mind. They are something you think about, something you hope will never happen again.

“But you have to learn that there is both good and bad in this game. It can change with every at-bat. You get booed in one at-bat, the next one you get cheered. The way this game is, you can always redeem yourself.”

Considering he was booed in his debut at Dodger Stadium Wednesday after turning a fly ball into a double, Daniels needed quick redemption.

“He’s human, he’s trying, but with him, nobody ever seems to see that,” Harris said. “Nobody sees it when he hits the ball. All they do is look at the bad things. And every time he does something like that, they boo.

“To be honest, I’m surprised he’s taken everything so well.”

Said Daniels, hitting .215 with 11 runs batted in after missing part of the season because of knee surgery: “It’s easy to feel you have to try hard at a new place because the fans and the team are expecting so much. But in my situation, it’s easy not to feel that pressure. Everybody knows I’ve had the knee surgery. Everybody knows I can’t try and carry this team.”

The Pirates are no strangers to defensive lapses. They committed six errors during Friday’s doubleheader and three more in the seventh inning Saturday.

Alfredo Griffin started the seventh off starter and loser Jeff Robinson with a grounder that bounced off first baseman Benny Distefano’s chest. Martinez then appeared to hit into a double play, but second baseman Jose Lind botched the return throw at first base, and Martinez was safe at second on another error.

Harris appeared to ground out, but Distefano dropped the throw from shortstop Rafael Belliard for another error. Willie Randolph beat out a grounder to third baseman Bobby Bonilla to load the bases before Daniels’ single. Eddie Murray followed with an RBI single off reliever Doug Bair, and another run scored on Marshall’s grounder.

“Yes, yes, it is frustrating,” Pirate Manager Jim Leyland said of his defense. He cited the loss of first baseman Sid Bream, who is out for the rest of the season because of a knee injury, as the major factor.

“There really is something about having him there that made us comfortable,” Leyland said. “Face it, our guys are doing their best, but some of them just aren’t first basemen. And the other guys in the infield aren’t used to throwing to them.

“It’s hard. Sometimes this game is just very funny.”

Dodger Notes

Kirk Gibson might finally be headed for the disabled list. The pain in his left hamstring is becoming more obvious with each play he makes in center field. When asked how he felt Saturday night after going 0 for 3, dropping his average to .213, he said, “When the time comes, I’ll tell you the truth. I’ll tell you everything. But I don’t want to get into it now.” When asked about the pain in his legs, he said, “It’s like I’ve been telling you guys. It’s still the same.” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda moved him down to sixth in the batting order to ease some of the pressure. “He’s the only one who can tell us when he can play,” Lasorda said of Gibson, who has 13 hits in his last 107 at-bats (.121). . . . The Pirates made a surprise move before Saturday’s game by releasing shortstop Rey Quinones. Quinones hit .209 and made 19 errors in 71 games after being acquired from Seattle on April 21 along with minor league pitcher Bill Wilkinson for pitcher Mike Dunne and top prospects Mike Walker (pitcher) and Mark Merchant (outfielder). “I don’t care who or what we traded, what we stand for is performance,” Pirate Manager Jim Leyland told reporters. “He (Quinones) did not play. The mistakes he made, he did not correct them. I give (Pirate General Manager Larry) Doughty a gold star for having the guts to do this.” Said Quinones: “I feel like killing somebody right now. I don’t know why (I was released). I know I’m good, I know I’m better than other players.” To replace Quinones, the Pirates recalled shortstop Jay Bell from triple-A Buffalo. . . . New Dodger utilityman Lenny Harris was given a start at third base Saturday and went 0 for 4. . . . New Dodger pitcher Jeff Fischer probably will be sent back to triple-A Albuquerque today, three days after he was recalled, because of the return of Alejandro Pena from the disabled list. . . . Shortstop Alfredo Griffin, apparently angry over being moved from the leadoff spot to No. 8, threw his helmet down in the clubhouse after the game.