Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 26, 1995

It happened at Dodger Stadium Monday:

4:20 p.m.--Undecided is still listed as the Dodger pitcher for Game 3 of the Colorado series Wednesday night. Personally, I’d rather see Ismael Valdes. . . .

4:40--Tom Lasorda says that there will be no need for a pep talk tonight. “I gave one before the San Diego series on Thursday night,” he says. “I told our players that the division is here to be won, that we can’t give the other team four outs an inning, and to play the best you can.” . . .

5--Eric Karros calls for an outside pitch from batting practice pitcher Mark Cresse and blasts it against the right-field fence. Unfortunately, the gates aren’t open yet and no fans are watching. Remember when a night at the park wasn’t complete without watching the home team warm up? . . .

5:02--”We’ve been a better road club lately,” says Colorado pitcher Bret Saberhagen. “Hopefully, we can take two out of three . . . at least, one game.” . . .

5:08--For a change, Don Baylor agrees with Lasorda. The Colorado manager says he isn’t going to give a pregame speech. “There’s nothing more I can say,” he tells a horde of reporters. “They look around and see all you guys and know something’s up.” . . .

6--It’s apparent there won’t be a sellout. The Rockies won’t suffer from stage fright. They do better business than this at Coors Field against the Pittsburgh Pirates. . . .

6:05--Colorado news release calls the team the Rox. . . .

6:20--The Rox take infield practice. It’s important. Dodgers Brett Butler and Chad Fonville rank one-two in the National League in infield hits with 43 and 40. . . .

6:45--Public address announcer Mike Carlucci refers to Wednesday night as the last home game “of the regular season.” . . .

6:58-Diana Tash of the L.A. Opera sings the national anthem the way it should be sung. . . .

7:03--DiamondVision shows the last out of Ramon Martinez’s no-hitter against Florida. . . .

7:09--Martinez’s bid for a perfect game ends when the second batter, Mike Kingery, reaches first on Karros’ error. . . .

7:11--Scoreboard watching hasn’t ended. Houston leads Pittsburgh, 7-5, in the sixth inning. . . .

7:16--Butler gets another ground-ball single, but this one goes past drawn-in third baseman Vinny Castillo and into left field. . . .

7:17--Fonville bunts, Walt Weiss drops Bill Swift’s throw at second base for an error, and the table is set for Mike Piazza. . . .

7:18--Piazza clears the table with a two-run double into the right-field corner. . . .

7:24--The first-inning Rocky Horror Show could have been worse. The Dodgers fail to land a knockout punch when, with runners on first and second and one out, Tim Wallach hits into a double play. . . .

7:30--The Dodgers issued 210 media credentials for the game. Normal is 135. Nomo normal is 185. . . .

7:49--Ever wonder how many pitches Dodger scout Mike Brito has clocked with his speed gun from behind home plate? . . .

7:50--Weiss commits his second error of the night when he boots Fonville’s ground ball in the third inning. He also made two errors against the Dodgers on Aug. 2 at Coors Field. For the season, he’s made only 14. . . .

7:57--Well-played contest. Wallach’s error is the fourth in 3 1/3 innings. . . .

8:01--Dodger opponents score their 81st unearned run of the season when Larry Walker makes it 2-1 in the fourth on Andres Galarraga’s sacrifice fly. . . .

8:17--On an 0-2 count to Eric Young, Martinez wastes a pitch--and the Dodger lead in the fifth. It flies over Piazza’s head and Weiss scores the tying run. . . .

8:28--Umpire Jerry Crawford makes an error. He calls Fonville out on a bunt attempt although TV replay clearly shows that Galarraga’s foot is off the bag. . . .

8:31--Dante Bichette hits one into the left-field pavilion in the sixth. It would have been a homer at Coors Field too. . . .

8:39--Ho hum. Weiss boots Piazza’s grounder in the sixth. . . .

8:41--Klutch Karros gives the Dodgers a 4-3 lead with his 31st homer. . . .

9:05--The paid crowd is announced as 41,984, the smallest at Dodger Stadium since Thursday. . . .

9:11--The Dodgers almost have to call 911 when Walker unloads in the eighth, but Butler makes a leaping catch in front of the center-field wall. . . .

9:44--Dodgers win.