Hernandez Has Game of His Life : Dodgers: Piazza’s backup steps up and lifts slumping club to 12-2 victory over Reds.

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda begged someone Saturday to step up and be a hero.

Please, he appealed to his team, someone has to stop this five-game losing streak. Someone has to get the Dodgers winning again before the Colorado Rockies start figuring out their magic number to clinch the National League West title.

Well, Lasorda found his hero. He had been sitting in front of him, idle on the bench the last two months.

Would you believe backup catcher Carlos Hernandez?

Hernandez had the game of his career, leading the Dodgers to a 12-2 rout of the Cincinnati Reds in front of a paid crowd of 37,830 at Riverfront Stadium.

The Dodgers, producing their most lopsided victory since April 17, 1994, scored four more runs in the first six innings than they had in the previous five games combined.

Yet, there was no performance more stunning than that of Hernandez.

He began the game with an .086 batting average. He also had an .086 slugging percentage with five singles in 58 at-bats. He had not driven in a run.

Hernandez not only raised his average to .127, but he more than doubled his career-high with five RBIs. He went three for five with a three-run homer, a run-scoring double and a run-scoring single. It was his first home run since July 17, 1994. He had more RBIs in two hours than he had in the previous 404 days.

It had been so long since Hernandez was on the basepaths that he couldn’t help himself when he nearly sprinted around the bases in the fourth inning after his homer off rookie C.J. Nitkowski (1-2).

“That was the first time I even got to touch second base,” Hernandez said. “So I was in a hurry.”

This is a player who has had only 13 RBIs in his last two seasons. Hernandez never had driven in a run against the Reds.

Who could blame an inquiring public wondering when he last had such a night?

“I remember I had that good game in A-ball,” Hernandez said. “And, oh yeah, I had a good winter ball game in ’92. I know I had nothing like this in the big leagues.”

Hernandez has had plenty of time to cherish those memories since he has been sitting on the bench for 34 consecutive games.

If it hadn’t been for his buddy and starting pitcher Ramon Martinez, Hernandez would have been sitting through the All-Star break.

Martinez (8-6) confessed that he made a special request to have Hernandez behind the plate. Martinez was winless in his last three starts, with a 10.80 ERA, and was loudly booed at Dodger Stadium during his last start.

It was nothing personal against Mike Piazza, Martinez insisted, but the numbers speak for themselves. Martinez is 4-5 with a 6.57 ERA when Piazza and Tom Prince have caught him, and he’s 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA with Hernandez.

“I don’t want anybody to feel bad, but yes, I asked for Carlos,” said Martinez, who gave up five hits and two earned runs in six innings. “We all know Mike is our guy, but I just feel so comfortable with Carlos.

“I needed something because my last game was the worst time I’ve ever had in baseball. It was the first time I got booed. I have pride, but that was bad. Real bad.”

Leave it to Hernandez, who not only rescued Martinez, but the entire team. The Reds had a 2-1 lead before Hernandez hit his three-run homer over the left-field wall, and they never recovered. The Dodgers, who had hit one homer in their previous 209 at-bats and were batting .181 during the last 10 games, suddenly looked like a new team.

How in the world can you possibly celebrate a night like that?

“I think I’m going to have a few cervezas ,” Hernandez said. “I can’t have too many. We’ve got a day game.

“Well, then again, maybe I can have more than one.

“They’re giving me the day off.”