Dodgers Supply the Power

Dodger rookie second baseman Wilton Guerrero ended up as the hero of the Freeway Series opener Friday night when he hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Dodgers a 3-2 victory over the Angels in front of 30,570 at Dodger Stadium.

Mike Piazza, showing he is ready for the start of the season, accounted for the other Dodger runs with two homers off Angel starter Mark Langston.

Piazza, who now has five home runs this spring, smashed his first homer in the fourth inning over the wall in right-center field and then connected with a shot to straight-away center in the sixth.

Dodger Manager Bill Russell played most of the regulars until at least the sixth inning but used pitchers Ramon Martinez and Hideo Nomo for two innings apiece.

Martinez was sharp in pitching the first two innings of the game as he gave up only one hit with one strikeout and no walks. Nomo, however, struggled as he gave up the Angels’ only run, thanks to a walk, a hit and a wild pitch.

“Obviously, playing against the Angels gives us both a good look at each other,” said Russell, who has participated in 15 Freeway Series as a player and eight as a coach. “We’re still looking at people, but this is a natural rivalry that teams want to win. Year to year it changes, but I remember when I played, the games were intense.”

Guerrero, who many feel could be the Dodgers’ sixth consecutive rookie of the year, was hitless in his first four at-bats. But he made the most of his fifth with a home run to left.

The Angels received a solid effort from Langston, who pitched six innings and gave up four hits, including Piazza’s homers.

“The key for us is that no one gets hurts,” first-year Angel Manager Terry Collins said. “It’s easy to see what was wrong last season. . . . [The Angels] used 29 pitchers [the most by any club in major league history] and you can’t have that.

“What’s important is that we have to have all of our front line pitching healthy.”

Compared to the Dodgers, the Angels scored their runs the hard way. In the third inning, Gary DiSarcina singled, advanced on a wild pitch by Nomo and later scored on a Darin Erstad sacrifice fly. In the eighth, pinch-runner Fausto Cruz was forced home by Dodger pitcher Antonio Osuna’s second walk of the inning.

In the 11th, the Angels had their best chance to win when they loaded the bases only to have the rally end on a force out by catcher Todd Greene.

The Freeway Series moves to Anaheim Stadium for tonight’s game at 7 and Sunday’s at 1 p.m.

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* BILL PLASCHKE

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