Rookie Is the Leading Man for Dodgers

It’s as if he belongs in one of those old black-and-white newsreels. The uniform is perpetually dirty. His hair is mussed. His cap is pulled tightly over his eyes.

Todd Hollandsworth is a throwback to the days when rookies played hard, kept their mouths shut, and minded their own business.

You don’t hear him touting himself for rookie-of-the-year honors. You don’t hear him pouting about not starting against left-handed pitchers. You don’t hear him complaining about lack of fame.

Hollandsworth simply plays the game to win, and once again, played an integral part in the Dodgers’ 11-7 romp over ace Curt Schilling and the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium.

Hollandsworth scored three runs, had two hits, and played a key part in each of the Dodgers’ three rallies that provided a 11-0 lead by the fourth inning, only to require a save by Antonio Osuna to preserve the victory.

“That’s my approach now, just to get on base and get this team going,” said Hollandsworth, who on Aug. 9 moved into the leadoff spot. “Really, that’s all I’m trying to do.”

If you want to know the principal reason why the Dodgers (74-61) have moved 13 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 1991 season, just take a look at Hollandsworth.

The Dodgers began playing their best ball one day after Hollandsworth became their leadoff hitter. They have won eight of their last nine games, 15 of their last 20, and are breathing down the necks of the San Diego Padres.

The Dodgers pulled to one game on the National League West-leading Padres, who lost to the Montreal Expos. They also are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Expos in the wild-card race.

“I’m having the best time of my life right now,” said Hollandsworth, who is batting .328 as a leadoff hitter with 10 runs and 10 RBIs. “It’s a matter of confidence. Early this season, I felt like I had to prove to everybody that I belonged here. I was trying to show people that I deserved to be here, and it ended up hurting my game.

“Now, I’m just doing what comes natural.”

Hollandsworth, batting .323 with 35 RBIs in his last 56 games, was one of seven Dodgers in the lineup who produced at least two hits Saturday. Only 10 days after being victimized by a two-hit shutout by Schilling at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers turned around and pounded him for seven hits and eight runs in 3 1/3 innings.

“Hollandsworth has been a big part in our success,” said Reggie Smith, Dodger hitting coach. “We’ve been looking for a leadoff hitter all year, and he has done an outstanding job. You see what has happened since he stepped into the role.”

Hollandsworth, who perhaps has emerged as the front-runner in the rookie race, opened the door for the Dodgers’ onslaught. He drew a leadoff walk in the first inning off Schilling, and scored the game’s first run on a groundout by Eric Karros. He hit a one-out single in the third inning, and scored on Wayne Kirby’s triple in the third inning. And in the fourth, he hit a two-run double and scored in the Dodgers’ eight-run inning--the highest total against the Phillies this season.

It was the elixir that Dodger starter Ismael Valdes (12-7) needed to end his six-game winless drought. Valdes yielded nine hits and six runs (five earned) in seven innings, winning for the first time since July 23 at Florida.

“Finally,” Valdes said. “It feels good to get the win after your team scores all of those runs.”

The outburst was enough to negate Phillie outfielder Jim Eisenreich’s latest heroics. Eisenreich, who has a .436 career batting average against the Dodgers and is hitting .489 this season against them, went three for five with a home run and three RBIs. Little wonder why Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, spent part of the day trying to trade for Eisenreich before the 9 p.m. deadline for playoff rosters. He instead wound up acquiring left-handed outfielder Dave Clark of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I don’t remember anybody ever hitting against us like Eisenreich,” Dodger Manager Bill Russell said. “The guy is just unbelievable.”

It may have been the simple presence of Eisenreich that perhaps kept Russell from entertaining any notion of pulling his starters with a 11-0 lead. He even left Hollandsworth in the game to face left-handed reliever Ricardo Jordan in the sixth.

“It’s something to build on,” Hollandsworth said. “I believe there will come a time when I come to the ballpark and face a left-handed starter, but I’m not going to worry about it. I just want the opportunity to play.

“I’m not the star of the team.”