Dodger Sweep of Pirates Has All the Right Moves

Amazing how fast three victories and 37 hits over a weekend can stop the bleeding and the booing.

As the Dodgers finished off the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-4, on Sunday before 37,949 at Dodger Stadium, Tom Lasorda could reflect on the week that was and wonder what more he can accomplish as a manager.

With his team headed nowhere fast and his bullpen closer on the blink, he started stirring his lineup like a pot of pasta. Tuesday, he moved Brett Butler back to leadoff, but still the Dodgers lost.

Thursday, he benched slumping stars Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry for a game. No luck, as the St. Louis Cardinals finished a three-game sweep.

Friday, he moved Davis up to the second spot in the order and planted catcher Mike Piazza at the third spot between Davis and Darryl Strawberry.

Bingo.

Sunday, the Dodgers added 11 more hits to their weekend collection.

It wasn’t easy. Kevin Gross took a 6-2 lead into the ninth inning but let the first two runners get aboard, leading to his departure.

Jim Gott was summoned, but he didn’t bring his control. He promptly walked Don Slaught to load the bases and allow the potential tying run to reach the plate. After a sacrifice fly scored one run, Gott got Al Martin to fly out to center. But Lonnie Smith walked to reload the bases.

Jay Bell dribbled an infield single to third, scoring another run to make it 6-4.

With the bases still loaded and two out, Lasorda brought left-hander Steve Wilson in to face lefty Andy Van Slyke.

Wilson raised the tension by going 3-0 on Van Slyke. Wilson stepped off the mound and recalled his first appearance as a Dodger, Sept. 7, 1991, when he faced Barry Bonds in a similar situation.

In that game, he came back to strike out Bonds.

“ ‘I’ve been in this situation before,’ ” Wilson said he told himself. “ ‘I can do it again.’ ”

He battled back on Van Slyke and got him to pop out to second on what looked to be ball four for the final out.

Wilson shut the door as the Dodgers continued a phone-book search for another left-handed reliever.

Wilson said he welcomes all comers.

“It’s not like I’m saying, ‘Boy, they’re trying to acquire another lefty because I’m a terrible player,’ ” he said. “I say they’re trying to acquire another left-hander to make our team better.”

Wilson’s first save of the year preserved Kevin Gross’ second victory of the season and the 100th in his career.

Gross gave up four earned runs in eight innings. Bob Walk (2-1) took the loss for Pittsburgh.

Gross needed a little help from his friends.

Eric Karros staked him to a 3-0 lead in the first when he drove Walk’s 3-0 pitch into the foul-pole screen in left.

“I’m lucky it stayed fair,” Karros said. “A game of inches. Another four inches and who knows what happens?”

Gross gets stuck with a loss, probably.

But the pitcher survived a shaky second, when he gave up two runs, and a shaky fifth, when second baseman Jody Reed saved the day.

With two out, runners at the corners and Gross clinging to a 3-2 lead, Van Slyke ripped a wicked one-hopper to Reed, who stabbed the ball with his glove and threw him out.

“You just take a shot on whether it’s going to come up,” Reed said. “It landed in my glove. It was do or die.”

Was it important?

“He wins the game for us, I think,” Gross said of Reed’s play.

Pittsburgh Manager Jim Leyland thought it was the turning point.

“It was a great play,” he said. “He’s a good second baseman. Good second basemen make that play. He did.”

Said Strawberry: “It shows we don’t have to go through what we did last season. Last year, day or night, every play that had to be made, we made a mistake.”

Gross shut the Pirates down the next three innings as the Dodgers built their lead.

Strawberry’s sacrifice fly scored Davis in the fifth to put the Dodgers up, 4-2.

They added two more in the sixth when Davis’ single to left scored Reed and Jose Offerman.

Davis had three more hits Sunday and is nine for 13 since being moved up to second in the order.

Of course, you didn’t have to remind Lasorda.