Baseball / Daily Report : Dodgers : Rodriguez Puts Homers out of His Head

Dodger right fielder Henry Rodriguez knows this might sound crazy. But he says that hitting four home runs April 23 in a spring training game against the New York Mets was the worst thing that could have happened to him.

“It messed me up, messed me up big time,” Rodriguez said. “After that happened, I started thinking I was a home run hitter. I started thinking the club was counting on me to hit home runs. I was expecting them myself.”

Instead, Rodriguez batted .059 through the first week of the season when it finally dawned on him.

“I decided after that,” Rodriguez said, “it was time to play my game. Just see the ball, and hit it where it’s pitched. If the homers come, they come. But don’t force it.”

The result? Before Monday’s game, Rodriguez had a .318 average, batting /481 (13 for 27) in the last week. He then hit a home run and drove in two runs to increase his average to .500 for the week, .340 overall.

“I tell you what,” Rodriguez said, “this feels a whole lot better.”

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Catcher Mike Piazza, who batted .688 with seven runs, three homers and 11 RBIs during the three-game Rocky series, was selected as the National League’s Player of the Week. With center fielder Raul Mondesi winning the award the previous week, it’s the first time the Dodgers have had back-to-back winners since Brett Butler and Eric Karros accomplished the feat in 1992.