Gross Gives Dodgers Big Break, 2-0

Desperately needing the dramatic, the Dodgers stumbled upon it Tuesday in a man who understands about proving something to those who would write him off.

Using a biting curveball and steely stare, Kevin Gross emerged from the bullpen to strike out 13 Montreal Expos--and walk none--in leading the Dodgers to a 2-0 victory in front of 10,170 at Olympic Stadium.

“We needed this like a man needs a blood transfusion,” Manager Tom Lasorda said.

Backed by a two-run home run from Darryl Strawberry, who returned after missing four games, Gross struck out two batters looking and 11 flailing in the season’s best strikeout performance so far.

“I’ve struck out before, but never like this,” said the Expos’ Delino DeShields, who whiffed four times. “These were serious strikeouts.”

It was the most strikeouts by a Dodger starter since Ramon Martinez struck out 18 Atlanta Braves on June 4, 1990.

With Gross giving up only two singles and a double, it was the best pitching performance by a Dodger starter since Fernando Valenzuela threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 29, 1990.

And it may have been the most needed performance by a Dodger starter in the last decade.

Before the game, the Dodgers had equaled their worst start in Los Angeles franchise history at 10-18. And their bullpen had been battered for 10 runs and three losses in their last 12 innings.

“We needed somebody to turn this around for us,” Gross said. “We needed a shutout.”

It was his first shutout and complete game in nearly two years, not to mention his first victory of the season after three losses.

But more impressive, it was his first start in 15 days, since he was bumped from the rotation and sent to the bullpen two weeks ago because of the four postponed games in Los Angeles.

Gross had the best earned-run average among Dodger starters when he was bumped, at 4.01, but it didn’t matter. Just like last year, when it happened during the middle of the season, Gross is always the one bumped from the rotation.

“He’s been around enough to know that, even if you don’t want to go to the bullpen, you just do it because the team comes before you,” pitcher Bob Ojeda said. “You get mad, but you don’t take it to the mound. . . . Kevin was mad, but he went out and pitched the game of his life.”

This game was typified by Gross’ battle with DeShields with one out in the ninth.

Gross fell behind 1-and-0, DeShields fouled off a curveball, Gross fell behind 2-and-1, then DeShields took strike two.

Gross threw three consecutive curveballs and DeShields fouled off each one before looking at ball three. With the count full, Gross threw a slower curve and DeShields swung . . . and missed by a mile.

“I knew he was going to throw curveballs . . . but there wasn’t anything I could do about it,” DeShields said, sounding as helpless as he looked.

Said Gross: “By that time, I wasn’t going to change.”

On a postgame elevator ride, the Expos’ Steve Lyons, who struck out while pinch-hitting in the sixth inning, said without prompting, “I was expecting a curveball on his first pitch, and he threw me a fastball down the middle. . . . “

Gross, who improved to 1-3 with a 2.92 ERA, said he threw 30% more curveballs Tuesday night, which attributed to his success.

Another difference, said Lasorda, was that Gross did not let his fiery emotions control him.

“He showed a lot of poise, he did not fight himself, he was tough in the clutch,” Lasorda said.

Gross, a former member of the Expos who likes this team so much that he has gone 13-4 against them with a 2.52 ERA, said he was as relaxed as he looked.

“I go just with the flow around here; I am tired of fighting things,” Gross said.

He was helped with the one of the Dodgers’ best defensive efforts of the season, including three spectacular assists by shortstop Jose Offerman and a great stop and throw home by Eric Karros for an inning-ending double play in the fifth.

“That’s what we’ve been looking for,” Gross said of Offerman. “He had a few bad games early, but we all knew he could do it.”