Astacio Around at Finish : Baseball: Reds make noise in ninth, but Dodger starter holds on for 5-2 victory.
For the second consecutive night, Dodger pitching coach Ron Perranoski walked to the mound amid a chorus of boos from the crowd at Dodger Stadium.
Pedro Astacio, who had pitched an exceptional game Tuesday before 31,826, had just given up a home run and a double to the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth inning, narrowing the Dodgers’ lead to 5-2, a score that stood.
But Astacio was left in, and when Eric Karros tossed him the ball at first base for the third out, Astacio pumped his fist as he whirled around the bag.
“He’s got his own style out there and that’s what makes him special; it’s not showing anybody up,” catcher Mike Piazza said. “He loves to pitch, and when he makes a good pitch it’s just his personality. He’s very funny out there. He’s got a lot of energy and that’s good to see. It’s refreshing.”
It was the fourth complete game in the last seven for Dodger starters, who lead the league with 10. The next closest is Cincinnati and Atlanta, with six. Dodger starters have reached at least the sixth inning in their last 10 games, during which they have a 2.95 earned-run average.
“The Reds are a good club, they are in first place in their division and to beat them, and especially Jose Rijo, is great,” said Piazza, who was two for five with a run batted in and has a hit in four consecutive games. “I think Rijo is one of the top two or three pitchers in the league, and to get to him early worked out.”
It has been a season of streaks for Astacio (4-5), who pitched three exceptional games before faltering for a couple of starts, then coming on strong in his last two.
“I had good stuff tonight, not my best but good,” said Astacio, who gave up nine hits and walked none. “I felt strong in the ninth, I just tried to stay ahead. . . . They are good hitters.”
Pitching with a 3-0 lead after the first inning, Astacio retired the side in order three times and allowed only two Reds to reach third base until the eighth inning, when he gave up a leadoff homer to second baseman Jeff Branson, his first.
Besides Branson, he was hit hard in the eighth by Barry Larkin, who singled, and Kevin Mitchell, who hit a fly ball caught at the warning track. But in the bottom of the inning, Astacio batted for himself.
“He’s pitched well every time. I can’t recall a game where he has struggled against us, “ Larkin said. Astacio is 4-1 against the Reds.
When Astacio took the mound in the ninth, he had a 5-1 lead, the Dodgers’ final run coming on Garey Ingram’s leadoff homer in the eighth off reliever Jeff Brantley. Ingram, who has filled in for Delino DeShields at second base since May 14, was two for four with two RBIs. It was his third home run.
But the Reds weren’t through. With one out, Reggie Sanders homered into the Dodger bullpen, where Todd Worrell and Al Osuna were warming up. Thomas Howard followed with a double to right. Enter Perranoski.
“I just wanted to slow him down,” Perranoski said. “He had good command tonight and he wasn’t finished. He got the ball up to Sanders for the home run. He only threw 112 pitches.”
Brett Butler walked to lead off the first inning, and the Dodgers followed with four consecutive hits against Rijo (5-4), scoring three runs--one with the help of an error by Mitchell in left field--before the first out was recorded.
Piazza, Tim Wallach and Henry Rodriguez got run-scoring singles, and Wallach scored again in the fifth inning after he led off with a single.
Piazza and Wallach, who hit 3-4 in the order, have combined to hit 29 of the Dodgers’ 66 home runs and knock in 106 of the team’s 307 RBIs.
Rijo, who was looking for his fourth consecutive victory, left after six innings with his team trailing, 4-0. He gave up 10 hits and three earned runs, and struck out six.