Rudy Seanez’s Arm Is Picture of Perfection

Rudy Seanez’s tattoo is so large, I tried to interview it. He looks like a Los Angeles freeway interchange. I’ve seen smaller art hanging in the Louvre.

“What do you think of Rudy’s tattoo?” I asked Tom Candiotti, the Dodger pitcher whose 4-2 victory Seanez saved Wednesday night at Joe Robbie Stadium.

“I think he should get one after every save,” Candiotti said.

“But that could cover Rudy from head to toe,” I said.

“Fine,” Candiotti said. “He’d look like that rock guy Tommy Lee, the one who married Heather Locklear.”

Rudy’s got two saves in two games. He’s on a 144-save pace.

The Dodgers--undefeated since August 1994--gave the baseball to Seanez for the Florida Marlins’ half of the ninth inning, with nobody else warming up. Rudy struck out Charles Johnson (second night in a row) and got Chuck Carr and Andre Dawson on infield grounders.

This came one night after the Dodger bullpen got torched for a four-run ninth. That had the fans buzzing. One game and the natives back home were already getting restless.

But Seanez has been perfect.

Artistic, even.

A save a night? “Be nice, wouldn’t it?” Rudy agreed.

But it isn’t what he wants. Seanez isn’t counting on being the full-time stopper. Splitting that duty with Todd Worrell and Antonio Osuna would be fine.

“You’d rather share?” Rudy was asked, because some guys don’t.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s great. We’ve got guys down there who can do the job. And that way it doesn’t wear anybody out.”

Until this week, Worrell and Rob Murphy were the only Dodger relievers who owned a big-league save. Worrell has had only 19 in the 1990s. Murphy has had three in three years.

Seanez has two in two days.

“Is Rudy your closer?”

Tom Lasorda understood the question, but proved a pretty good dodger.

“Let’s go no further with this than this game. We’ll take the next game when we get to the next game, OK?” Lasorda said.

Life could be a whole lot simpler for the Dodgers if the relief-pitcher picture came into focus.

Seanez, the guy whose name sounds like a TV network--”CNS”--would be the answer to a prayer. He’s the one whose right arm once launched a baseball at speeds up to 100 m.p.h.

“He’s got the stuff,” Lasorda said. “He’s got the equipment that can handle it.”

The left arm is the one with the mural. But Rudy Seanez could be the very trick that the Dodgers need up their sleeves.

They were able to mix speeds on the Marlins, feeding them six innings of Candiotti’s knuckleballs, followed by two innings of Ismael (Rocket) Valdes’ hard stuff, followed by Ready Rudy’s mop-up work.

Known for his fastball, Seanez fanned the final batter on opening night with a curve. And nobody he has faced yet has hit a ball out of the infield.

Candiotti--for whom the Dodgers have had trouble scoring runs--can use the support.

This time, the Dodgers got him enough runs. They are batting .306 as a team after two nights, with Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi and Eric Karros all at .571 and Jose Offerman at .500.

“Bop and Offy and Mondy will get on base, don’t worry about them,” said Candiotti, referring to Delino DeShields, Offerman and Mondesi.

But it wasn’t Bop or Offy or Mondy or Mork or Mindy who was worrying the Dodgers by the end of Wednesday’s game. It was Piazza and his hurting hamstring.

“Now that’s something we could live without,” Candiotti said.

The Dodgers have the Atlanta Braves coming to town for L.A.’s home opener. Not to exaggerate, but Atlanta’s batting lineup looks like, well, nine Mike Piazzas.

Valdes, having looked very sharp in his two innings against the Marlins, will make a start Saturday against the Braves.

How he does could affect Dodger plans. Do they use Valdes in the rotation or in the bullpen or both? Do they bring up Chan Ho Park or pick up Tim Belcher, an old friend who’s available?

One thing’s pretty obvious, that the Dodgers won’t be making million-dollar offers to Bryan Harvey or Rick Aguilera or any established bullpen closer who happens to be on the trading block.

For now, they’ll go with what they got.

And for now, what they’ve got looks good.