Nice Game, Todd; Now Slide Down the Bench

Any Todd Hollandsworth highlight reel should be in black and white. His uniform is dirty before he leaves the dugout. His face is always smudged.

He would look to be more comfortable working a coal mine than playing left field for the Dodgers. Hollywood isn’t his bag. He couldn’t identify the recent Oscar winners. But when it comes to baseball . . .

“He’s a guy who could play in any era,” Dodger veteran center fielder Brett Butler said. “He’s a hard-work, no-nonsense guy. He’s a Kirk Gibson type. He just wants to play ball, and he’ll work hard to do it.

“As soon as I met the kid, I knew he was a no-nonsense type of guy. He doesn’t put up with any garbage. If you play games with him, he won’t have anything to do with you.

“I tell you, he’s refreshing.”

Hollandsworth found himself surrounded by reporters and TV cameras Monday afternoon after playing the hero in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros. His two-out, three-run double in the fifth inning gave the Dodgers their winning margin.

Hollandsworth’s performance against Shane Reynolds typified his character. He fell behind in the count, 1-2, three times fouled off pitches to stay alive, then delivered by hitting a forkball into the right-center gap.

“He’s a good hitter,” Reynolds said, realizing that Hollandsworth is now five for six with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs off him. “He’s standing right on the plate. I left it up in the zone, and he got enough on it to get it out.”

Hollandsworth shrugged off the heroics. It was nice for the team, he said. It’s great for a team’s confidence, he said.

Yet, no matter what he did in the opener, he realizes that today and Wednesday he will be sitting on the bench watching Billy Ashley play left field.

Manager Tom Lasorda told Hollandsworth and Ashley that they will share the position, Hollandsworth starting against right-handers, Ashley against lefties. Neither player is wild about the idea.

“It doesn’t mean it has to stay that way,” Hollandsworth said. “I don’t think I’ll be sitting two games in a row. That’s hard for me to believe. I still want to win a job. I just want to play.”

Hollandsworth batted .254 this spring with three homers and 15 RBIs. Ashley struggled, batting .132 with three homers and seven RBIs, but the Dodgers are reluctant to give up on his power potential.

“I think it’s been tough on both of us,” Hollandsworth said. “We both put a lot of pressure on ourselves. It’s like we felt we had to go two for two or three for three to get the job. I think both of us will relax now.”

Hollandsworth still figures to get most of the playing time because the Dodgers will face many more right-handers than lefties. It’s also possible that if a left-hander starts and is relieved, Lasorda will bring in Hollandsworth.

“I told him the other day, ‘You don’t know how good you’re going to be,’ ” Lasorda said. “He’s got foot speed, he can get the ball in the outfield, and he has some pop in his bat. Believe me, you’re going to be hearing a lot from him.”