Slumping Guerrero Gets a Rest

Rookie second baseman Wilton Guerrero, in his second week on the job, found himself in unfamiliar territory Tuesday night.

On the bench.

Guerrero, in a three-for-22 slump, was benched Wednesday for only the second time in his professional career. He was replaced in the lineup by Chad Fonville, although Manager Bill Russell said Guerrero will return to the lineup Friday.

“He’s probably trying too hard,” Russell said. “Sometimes, it’s good to sit and watch a game.

“He’s been swinging at a lot of bad pitches. The pitchers have been throwing a lot of curveballs and breaking balls in the dirt. He’s not getting anything good to hit, but he’s still swinging at those pitches. Up here, they exploit all of your weaknesses.

“He just needs to be more patient, and he needs to bunt more. He needs to take advantage of that speed. He’ll be all right.”

Russell broke the news to Guerrero in a private meeting in his office with coach Manny Mota, who helped by translating in Spanish.

“I told him by no means are we down on you,” Russell said. “I told him, ‘You’ll be back out there refreshed on Friday.’ It might be a little colder fresh air [in Pittsburgh], that’s all.”

Guerrero, batting .200 with a .250 on-base percentage, understands the decision. It’s just that except for one game in the Dominican Republic winter league, he never has been benched.

“It’s just one of those things that happens,” Guerrero said. “Everybody goes through a bad streak. Sometimes, you swing bad, and I’m swinging bad.

“It’s a little different [in the big leagues]. In the minor leagues, they threw a lot more fastballs. I’m seeing a lot of breaking balls now.”

*

Fonville welcomed the opportunity to be in the starting lineup for the first time this season.

“I’ve just been trying to stay ready for a chance to play,” Fonville said. “I’m not going to try to change nothing now, or try to impress anybody, they know what I can do. I just want to help this team win.

“I’ve made a lot of adjustments in this role. A year ago, I kept thinking, ‘Here’s my chance,’ and I tried to do too much. Now, I’m much more relaxed.”

*

Knuckleballer Tom Candiotti, who has pitched five innings of scoreless relief, said there is one distinct advantage to pitching out of the bullpen instead of starting.

“It’s a lot more fun hanging in the bullpen than on the bench,” Candiotti said. “It’s a little more liberal down there.”

*

Eric Karros, who ran through a stop sign and was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double in Tuesday night’s 5-3 defeat, said that he simply was trying to be aggressive.

It was this same aggressiveness that helped lead to the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory in the third game of the season over the Philadelphia Phillies when Karros stole second base.

“I was just trying to make something happen,” Karros said. “I felt the situation dictated that I give it a shot.”

*

Reliever Darren Dreifort not only has emerged as the top setup man in the bullpen, but he could prove to be a valuable right-handed pinch-hitter. He has frequently been taking batting practice with the position players.

“We’re not afraid to use him as a pinch-hitter,” Russell said. “We know he can hit.”

Dreifort batted .327 with 22 homers and 66 RBIs in his final season in 1993 at Wichita State.

“Hey, I’d love to do it,” Dreifort said. “I’m ready.”

*

The 50th-anniversary celebration of Jackie Robinson’s first game on Tuesday at Shea Stadium has drawn little fan interest.

The Mets report that they have sold only 22,000 tickets for the game.