BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Benzinger Extends His Hitting Streak

Although the Dodgers will want to forget Monday’s 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, it was another in a series of memorable days for Todd Benzinger.

With his three-run triple in the eighth inning, he extended his hitting streak to eight games. During that time he has one home run, one triple, three doubles and seven runs batted in.

He has increased his average from .185 to .265 and raised eyebrows Monday during a 10-pitch duel with St. Louis relief ace Lee Smith.

Benzinger fouled off five pitches and broke a bat, making this similar to Smith’s duel with Dave Hansen at Dodger Stadium last month, when Hansen broke two bats in eight pitches.

Except Hansen popped out to second base. Benzinger drove the ball past a lunging Ray Lankford and to the center-field wall for a three-run triple.

“I think breaking my bat was the turning point to the at-bat, because the two pitches before that, I was feeling pretty discouraged,” Benzinger said. “Then I came back and fouled a couple of pitches off and got my hopes up again.”

Smith barely missed outside on two pitches, running the count full before Benzinger fouled off three more pitches.

“I knew he didn’t want to walk me, so I was waiting for a pitch that came in, and one finally did,” Benzinger said.

It was a rare bad day for Smith, who last year led the major leagues with a league-record 47 saves and this year saved 14 of the Cardinals 25 victories before Monday.

Kal Daniels was rested Monday on the artificial turf because of recurring knee soreness. . . . Orel Hershiser gave up three runs and four hits in six innings Monday. Hershiser gave up Milt Thompson’s third home run in the second inning and a two-out, two-run single by Ray Lankford in the fifth. After a 4.13 earned-run average in April, Hershiser has a 3.13 ERA in four starts in May, but is 3-3. “You could look at what I did as a turning point today as easily as what happened after I left,” Hershiser said. “I don’t give up the homer or the two-out hit, we have a bigger lead.”