Nomo Focuses on Big Picture

The Dodgers gathered in the outfield Thursday afternoon, started to kneel for the team photograph, and suddenly realized someone was missing.

Had anyone seen Hideo Nomo?

Nomo knew all about the photo session, but he had something more important on his mind that took precedence--his start in a pennant race.

The Dodger team photo may be missing a prominent member, but Nomo is helping assure there will be another taken during the postseason, leading the Dodgers to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in front of 34,191 at Dodger Stadium.

Nomo’s two-hit, eight-inning performance provided the Dodgers (82-64) with a half-game lead over the idle San Diego Padres (82-65) in the National League West race. The Dodgers, who have won 16 of their last 20 games and 23 of their last 31, also maintained a two-game lead over the Montreal Expos in the wild-card race.

“We played a great game tonight,” said first baseman Eric Karros, who hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning. “The only thing that matters is that we win ballgames. I don’t care if we play bad and win. I just don’t want to play good and lose.

“This team is capable of playing at a certain level, and at this point in the season, we’re finally getting to that level.”

Certainly, Nomo (15-10) is playing a vital role in the Dodgers’ fate, pitching his finest baseball of the season. He is 3-0 with a 1.76 earned-run average in his last four starts.

Nomo, who had a no-hitter until the sixth, probably could have produced the Dodgers’ first complete game since June 22. Yet, having already thrown 122 pitches, he was pulled for Antonio Osuna, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save.

Nomo’s no-hit bid ended with one out in the sixth when left fielder Ron Gant hit a mammoth homer into the left-field seats. It was Gant’s 28th homer of the season in only 109 games.

Yet Nomo prevented any further damage, leaving the Cardinals (79-68) only 1 1/2 games ahead of the Houston Astros in the NL Central.

If the regular season were to end today, the Dodgers would open the playoffs in St. Louis for the best-of-five series.

“Sure, we’ve thought about it,” Cardinal Manger Tony La Russa said, “but we’ve got to keep our focus. You can’t have distractions this time of year.”

It’s precisely why Nomo skipped the team photo session. The way he figures it, the team can simply dub his mug shot into the picture. You can’t dub a postseason berth into a picture.

Nomo, who won the division-clinching game against the Padres last season, said that he relishes pitching in these pressure games. He never got the opportunity to pitch in the playoffs in five seasons in Japan. Now, he’s making up for lost time.

He also had plenty of defensive help. There was shortstop Greg Gagne going into the hole and robbing Royce Clayton of a hit at the game’s outset. There was second baseman Chad Fonville in the eighth going toward the second base bag, jumping high into the air, and bouncing a throw to rob Ray Lankford of a hit.

And there was Raul Mondesi.

Mondesi, proving again why he is the finest right fielder in the league, saved Nomo at least a run in the fifth inning with his speed. Clayton, batting with two outs and Luis Alicea on second base, hit a drive toward the right-field line. Mondesi sprinted to his left, dove, and caught the ball with his body parallel to the ground.

The crowd gave Mondesi a standing ovation. And Nomo stayed behind, making sure to give Mondesi a high five.

It was Mondesi who also triggered the Dodgers’ offense. He led off the second inning with a routine grounder to shortstop. Clayton took his time getting rid of the ball, and Mondesi beat the throw.

Cardinal starter Donovan Osborne (12-9) struck out Tim Wallach for the first out, bringing up rookie left fielder Todd Hollandsworth. Dodger Manager Bill Russell, deciding he no longer can afford to keep Hollandsworth out of the lineup, was starting him for the first time this season against a left-hander.

“I just think he deserves to be in there,” Russell said. “He’s done a good job for us. We need this guy down the stretch.”

Hollandsworth never swung the bat, drawing a walk on five pitches. Gagne, in a miserable three-for-36 slump, then drove a 1-and-2 pitch into left field, scoring Mondesi for the game’s first run.

The Dodgers made it 2-0 in the third on Wallach’s two-out, run-scoring single, and Karros put the game away in the fifth. Given the green light with a 3-and-0 count and Chad Curtis on first, Karros hit a two-run homer into the right-field seats for his 31st home and 102nd RBI of the season.

“We’re just doing the things we need to do to win games,” said Russell, whose team has the fifth-best record in baseball. “You’ve got to make things happen, and that’s what we’re doing. We control our own destiny.”