Piazza Puts an End to Expo Rally, 7-6

Dodger catcher Mike Piazza couldn’t have been too happy when the Montreal Expos pulled a double steal on him in the ninth inning Saturday night to tie their game at Dodger Stadium.

But Piazza’s frustration turned to joy moments later when he hit his 30th home run in the bottom of the ninth to break the tie, give the Dodgers a 7-6 victory before 47,549 and expand their lead to one game over the San Diego Padres in the National League West.

The way the Dodgers began Saturday night, it looked as if the Hollywood Stars were still out there from the pregame show as the opposition rather than the Expos.

The first six Dodgers singled and it appeared the rout was on.

But the Expos came back to tie the game in the ninth after consecutive singles by Moises Alou and David Segui off reliever Todd Worrell.

Segui broke for second, drawing a throw from Piazza. But, when the throw bounced and shortstop Greg Gagne bobbled the ball, Alou was on his way home with the tying run.

It was Montreal starter Jeff Fassero who got the Expos in early trouble.

The left-hander was facing a Dodger team that has hardly been intimidated by southpaws, compiling a 17-10 record against left-handers before Saturday.

And the Dodgers made it very plain very early that Fassero could be their next victim.

By the time Fassero had faced the first six batters, there was a hook dangling in front of him.

The six singles--by Chad Curtis, Gagne, Piazza, Eric Karros, Raul Mondesi and Tim Wallach--drove in three runs and left the bases loaded.

But then, perhaps one pitch away from getting yanked, Fassero struck out Billy Ashley on a full count, and that seemed to finally give the Expo pitcher a foothold in the game.

Fassero didn’t give up another Dodger hit until the fifth, and in the meantime his teammates started collecting some hits of their own, cashing in for two runs in the fourth.

With a little help from Mondesi.

After Mike Lansing had singled, Cliff Floyd lined a single to right. The ball went through the legs of the onrushing Mondesi, allowing Lansing to score and Floyd to race all the way to third. From there, Floyd scored on a sacrifice fly by Alou.

It stayed 3-2 until the sixth when the Dodgers again threatened to break the game open. And this time, it was an Expo error that provided the key.

With Ashley on second and one out, Dodger pitcher Ramon Martinez hit a bouncer wide of first. Segui, the first baseman, fielded the ball and waited for Fassero to come over and cover the bag. But, looking as if he were pitching a horseshoe rather than throwing a baseball, Segui lobbed the ball so far over the head of the 6-foot-1 Fassero that the Montreal pitcher never even stretched for it, lowering his head in dejection instead as Ashley scored.

Following a Curtis single, Gagne doubled to left to drive in two runs.

But, with a 6-2 lead in the seventh, Martinez pitched himself into trouble. He gave up a single to Alou. Segui followed that with a double that sailed over the head of Todd Hollandsworth in left, scoring Alou.

With two out, Martinez hit third baseman Shane Andrews on the right thumb, ending a miserable night for the Montreal third baseman.

Andrews had to leave the game and was sent to Centinela Hospital for X-rays. Earlier, Andrews had committed two errors in the third inning after failing to get to Mondesi’s ball in the first. Mondesi had hit a sharp grounder that Andrews went after only to fall down, allowing Mondesi to get the fifth of the six consecutive first-inning hits by the Dodgers.

After Andrews left in the seventh, pinch-hitter Darrin Fletcher walked, loading the bases. Pinch-hitter F.P. Santangelo then doubled to left, driving in two runs to make it 6-5. But Fletcher, trying to get to third, was thrown out by Hollandsworth, preventing any further damage.