Worrell, Blowers Had It All Planned Out

Dodger closer Todd Worrell pulled third baseman Mike Blowers aside in spring training and laid out the strategy.

Worrell told Blowers to stay at third on sacrifice bunts with a baserunner on second base. Worrell said he would field the ball and throw to third.

Blowers remembered the plan Sunday during the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory after the Montreal Expos had scored two runs off Worrell in the ninth inning and had no outs and runners on first and second.

Andy Stankiewicz came to the plate and everyone in Olympic Stadium knew he was going to bunt. But Stankiewicz watched the first two pitches for strikes, frustrating Worrell.

“I wanted him to bunt there,” Worrell said, “so I made sure the next pitch was down the middle.”

Stankiewicz laid down a two-strike bunt toward the third-base line. Worrell pounced on it and made a perfect throw, nailing pinch-runner Dave Silvestri at third for the forceout.

Worrell then struck out David Segui for the second out and ended the game when first baseman Eric Karros caught F.P. Santangelo’s foul pop-up. It was Worrell’s 14th save, his third in the three-game series.

*

While many Dodgers were busily trying to figure how to spend their off-day today in Philadelphia, Dodger outfielder Milt Thompson informed his teammates he is getting married in New Jersey and let several know they are invited to the reception.

“We’ve been planning this for a while,” Thompson said. “When I saw the schedule and where we’d be, it made perfect sense. All of our families will be there.”

*

The Dodgers shut down the heart of the Expos’ order during their six games the past two weeks, limiting Henry Rodriguez and Moises Alou to a .204 batting average (11 for 54) with only five RBIs and one extra-base hit.