Dodgers’ Wallach Gets a Hit in Nick of Time

Tim Wallach, the local boy who wanted to make good when he signed with the Dodgers this season, finally came through after a miserable start, driving in the go-ahead runs with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday night to give the Dodgers a 6-5 victory over the New York Mets before a crowd of 32,651 at Dodger Stadium.

The single to center field off reliever Mike Maddux was Wallach’s third hit of the night. He also finished with four runs batted in.

Wallach, who attended Cal State Fullerton, entered the final game of the home stand batting .194.

There were whispers that Wallach, 35, might be finished after arriving here from the Montreal Expos after two poor seasons.

“We swung the bats well tonight,” Wallach said. “It’s important for us to get wins. Not just get close--get wins.”

Even Wallach’s vaunted glove has let him down at times this year. He committed an error in the second inning.

But all was forgiven after his game-winning hit in the eighth.

It drove in Jose Offerman and Mitch Webster. Offerman had opened the inning with a single and Webster walked. Both runners moved up on Brett Butler’s sacrifice, and Jody Reed walked to load the bases.

That brought up Eric Davis, who took a called third strike, setting the scene for Wallach.

The victory ended a grueling, frustrating, 3 1/2-hour game in which both teams wasted opportunities.

Wallach’s hit didn’t even clinch things. Jim Gott had to survive a high-wire act in the ninth inning to earn his third save.

The Mets had runners at second and third with one out in the ninth before Gott slammed the door.

He got Todd Hundley to pop up to third base for the second out. Then, in a dramatic finish, pinch-hitter Chico Walker took a called third strike to end the game.

Pedro Martinez (1-1), who helped finish up the game for his brother, Ramon, picked up his first major league victory. Maddux (0-3) suffered the loss.

The teams combined for 23 hits, the Dodgers collecting 14, all singles. But most of the runners Wednesday were stranded. The Mets left 13 runners on base, the Dodgers 11.

New York had taken a 3-0 lead on two runs in the second inning, the product of Wallach’s error and Hundley’s fielder’s choice, and a run in the third that came on Bobby Bonilla’s fifth homer of the season, first on the road.

Wallach’s two-run single in the third inning cut the margin to 3-2.

The Mets added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and the Dodgers scored twice in the sixth.

New York has lost nine of its last 10 games.

The Dodgers ended the home stand with a 4-3 record and head for the road with a different outlook after sweeping the Mets.

They hope Wallach takes his hot bat with him. Hoping to shake him out of his slumber, the Dodgers moved him to the cleanup spot Tuesday, and he responded with his third home run of the season.

Wednesday, in his first time up, he was robbed of a hit by third baseman Howard Johnson. But then Wallach broke loose. The four RBIs were the most he has collected in a game since July 23, 1990.

“I swung the bat well during the first home stand,” Wallach said. “Then I didn’t swing it so well. It was important that I didn’t get down on myself.”

Until Wallach’s hit, it had been a frustrating night for Dodger batters.

In the seventh inning, they threatened to make a loser of Mets’ starter Bret Saberhagen, but couldn’t come up with a clutch hit.

With one out, Wallach singled to left and went to third on Mike Piazza’s single to right.

That was the end for Saberhagen, who gave way to reliever Maddux, who snuffed out the Dodger threat by striking out Eric Karros and Cory Snyder.