BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Wallach Fuels Home Run Pace
The Dodgers lead the National League in home runs this spring, and Saturday’s 9-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals showed no signs of a slow down. Tim Wallach, Raul Mondesi, Mitch Webster and Billy Ashley each homered, giving the Dodgers 25 home runs in 16 games. The team hit 26 homers in 30 games last spring.
Wallach is batting .308 with two home runs in 14 games. Since 1990, when he batted .296 with 21 home runs, Wallach has batted worse than .225 and hit no more than 13 homers.
When the Dodgers acquired Wallach before the 1993 season, they hoped he would hit at least 15 homers and drive in 80 runs. He might have accomplished that had he not suffered a broken rib, ending the season with 12 homers and 62 runs batted in. But at 36 and in the last year of his contract, Wallach isn’t satisfied with those numbers. He spent most of the winter in the batting cage at Dodger Stadium working with hitting instructor Reggie Smith, and takes extra hitting daily.
“The contract doesn’t drive me to play; it isn’t the money. I want to get to a World Series,” Wallach said. “Realistically, this could be my last season . . . getting there is the most important thing.”
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Todd Worrell pitched a perfect eighth inning to earn the victory. Worrell has given up only two hits in five innings and has not been scored upon in five appearances. He said he has no problems with his arm and will be ready to go when the season starts. Left-hander Gary Wayne gave up one hit in the ninth and earned the save. He is unscored upon in nine innings and seven games, and is moving closer to securing a spot in the bullpen. . . . Carlos Hernandez hit a two-run double to break a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning and singled in the ninth. . . . Orel Hershiser gave up two earned runs in six innings and struck out five.
Cory Snyder returned to Los Angeles to have his sore back examined. Snyder, who has been sidelined most of the spring because of a pulled muscle in his side, suffered the back injury while taking ground balls. . . . Darren Dreifort update: In four appearances and seven innings, Dreifort has a 1-0 record with a 2.57 earned-run average and two saves. Fred Claire, executive vice president, has also noted that Dreifort’s sinker is effective against left-handers, increasing his already good chances to make the club. . . . Kevin Gross will pitch in his first A game today when he faces Bret Saberhagen and the New York Mets at Vero Beach.