Going, Going . . . Gone

By BOB NIGHTENGALE

Oct. 6, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

ATLANTA —

The pain will go away sometime during the winter, and soon the shock will turn to reality, but Saturday evening the Dodgers still were too numb to grasp what had just transpired.

The Dodgers, who loudly proclaimed this spring they would bury the opposition and wouldn’t tolerate anything less than a World Series appearance, instead quietly packed their bags, boarded their charter flight, and meekly headed back to Los Angeles.

The Dodgers lost, 5-2, to the Atlanta Braves before 52,529 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and were eliminated in three games of the National League division best-of-five playoff series. It was the first time in franchise history that they were swept for the second consecutive year in the playoffs.

The Dodgers, who were swept a year ago in three games by the Cincinnati Reds, now have lost a franchise-record six consecutive postseason games. They have yet to win a playoff game since Game 5 of the 1988 World Series.

“It’s painfully obvious that this team has some shortcomings,” Dodger catcher Mike Piazza said, “and it was exploited these last three games.”

The Braves’ pitching staff limited the Dodgers to only five runs (two earned) and a .147 batting average. It was the seventh-fewest runs scored in a five-game series in baseball history. Most embarrassing, the Dodgers had more strikeouts (29) than total bases (21). Dodger third baseman Tim Wallach and first baseman Eric Karros went hitless in 20 at-bats.

“I don’t know how much of it was our pitching, or how much of it were those guys struggling at the right time,” said Atlanta starter Tom Glavine, who won Saturday’s game, yielding five hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings. “Believe me, or fears came pretty close to coming through. We could have easily been out of here in three games than winning three games.”

The Dodgers have no explanation for their collapse. This is a team that only a week ago believed it could wind up in the World Series. Instead, it wound up losing seven consecutive games, batting .172, and going 247 plate appearances without a home run.

“I think maybe sometimes we played with too much confidence,” Dodger right fielder Raul Mondesi said. “I think we got too overconfident. We kept looking ahead.”

If nothing else, the Dodgers will be much quieter about their expectations next season. There will be no more boasting. No more acts of braggadocio.

“I hope there are things we learned from that,” said Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president. “The Braves have been there. The Braves have the right answers and they know how to give them . . .

“You either let this get you down, or you draw strength from it. I think we’ll draw strength from it.”

The Dodgers can bemoan their bad breaks during the series. They can talk all they want about one pitch here, or a hit there. Yet, they will also tell you they simply are an inferior team to the Braves, at least this week.

“You can make all of the excuses you want,” Karros said, “but they’re a better team. I thought we gave them a good run, but what difference did it make? It was still three and out. We’re getting on a plane and going home. They’re going to the next round of the playoffs.

“That’s what’s frustrating.”

The Braves blew the game open by scoring four runs with two out in the fourth inning against Hideo Nomo, capped by Chipper Jones’ two-run homer. Nomo, who was hammered in the final game of last year’s playoff series, again provided little resistance. He yielded five hits, five walks and five runs in just 3 1/3 innings, his shortest outing since Aug. 25, 1995.

The Braves, staked to a 5-0 lead, didn’t start to squirm until the eighth. The Dodgers knocked Glavine out of the game with Juan Castro’s two-out, run-scoring double in the seventh, and then took advantage of the Braves’ vulnerable middle relief corps in the eighth.

Wayne Kirby led off with a walk. Rookie Todd Hollandsworth followed with a flare to right that dropped in for a double, advancing Kirby to third, and bringing Piazza to the plate.

Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox summoned reliever Mike Bielecki, and then swallowed hard when Piazza hit a long fly ball headed toward the right-field corner. Rookie outfielder Jermaine Dye, the hero in Game 2, made an outstanding running catch against the wall in foul territory. Kirby scored from third on the sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 5-2.

Bielecki then walked Karros, bringing Mondesi to the plate representing the tying run. Bielecki got ahead on a 0-and-2 count. Cox was so fearful of Mondesi that he actually considered bringing in closer Mark Wohlers for the final strike. Instead, he stuck with Bielecki. Bielecki responded by striking out Mondesi on a low fastball.

Wallach stepped to the plate for what could be the final time of his illustrious career, and this time, Cox went with Wohlers.

“I was looking for a fastball,” Wallach said, “and just tried to hit it out of the ballpark.”

Wallach got his fastball. He swung mightily. And just missed hitting the ball squarely, instead sending the ball high into shallow left field for the third out.

Wallach flung his helmet toward the dugout. Karros stood on the basepaths with his hands on his hips. Dodger Manager Bill Russell grimaced.

It was over.

Wohlers closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth. The Dodgers went home for another long winter. The Braves are preparing themselves for another long October.

“It’s too bad it had to end this way,” Dodger closer Todd Worrell said, “because I think it takes away a lot of things this team had to overcome and accomplished.

“But this game shows no mercy.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Championship Series

NATIONAL LEAGUE (Channel 11)

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS vs. ATLANTA BRAVES

Wednesday

* St. Louis at Atlanta, 5 p.m.

Thursday

* St. Louis at Atlanta, 5 p.m.

Saturday

* Atlanta at St. Louis, 1:15 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 13