Dodgers at Their Witt’s End in Loss

Texas Ranger pitcher Bobby Witt would be a hit in the National League.

Witt became the first American League pitcher in 25 years to hit a home run in a regular-season game as the Rangers beat the Dodgers, 3-2, in an interleague game Monday night before a paid 31,721 at Dodger Stadium.

“I really couldn’t believe it,” Witt said. “That was the last thing on my mind.

“In high school I hit a bunch of home runs. I was a good hitter in high school, but that was 15 years ago. It’s been a long time since I swung a bat on a regular basis.”

Witt, who had two hits in 33 at-bats with the Florida Marlins in 1995, hit a home run on the first pitch in the sixth inning by Dodger starter Ismael Valdes.

The last American League pitcher to hit a homer in a regular season game was Roric Harrison of the Baltimore Orioles, who did it in the first game of doubleheader at Cleveland on Oct. 3, 1972.

“I give him a lot of credit,” said Dodger catcher Mike Piazza, who hit a one-out sixth-inning home run off Witt. “For a guy who never hits to hit a ball out of the ballpark--especially this ballpark--is [difficult]. I wouldn’t say it was lucky, but it was obviously a pitch we didn’t want to throw. It was a fastball that he kind of just threw middle in and didn’t have much on it.”

Ranger Manager Johnny Oates, a former Dodger catcher, was surprised.

“Honestly, I still don’t believe it happened,” Oates said. “He used the old Boog Powell theory: Swing hard in case you hit it.”

Witt pitched as well as he hit, giving up five hits--including doubles by Raul Mondesi and Greg Gagne--in eight innings with four strikeouts.

The Dodgers finished the first half of the season three games under .500.

“What can you say?” Piazza said. “Obviously we should be playing a lot better than we are. We’re really disappointed. Hopefully we can hang in there and keep our heads above water and get back in.”

Valdes, who gave up four hits and struck out eight in 8 1/3 innings to end a three-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rockies in his last start, retired 11 consecutive batters after issuing a first-inning leadoff walk to Mark McLemore.

But Juan Gonzalez led off the fifth inning with a double to the base of the wall in left-center field, and Dean Palmer drove him in with a one-out double to the base of the right-center field wall to end Valdes’ streak of 12 2/3 scoreless innings.

The game marked the return of outfielder Todd Hollandsworth, the 1996 rookie of the year who was demoted to the minors earlier this month.

Hollandsworth, who had eight hits in his last 29 at-bats before he was optioned to the Albuquerque on June 13, was hitless in four at-bats, with a game-ending strikeout.

He also struck out in his first at-bat, in the second inning with one out and runners on first and second after Mondesi doubled into the left field corner and Todd Zeile drew a walk.

With the Dodgers trailing, 3-1, after reliever Scott Radinsky gave up a run on two hits in the ninth inning, Mondesi drilled a home run off Ranger closer John Wetteland, a former Dodger who signed a $23 million, four-year contract last year.

Dodger first baseman Eric Karros, who has eight home runs and 24 RBIs in 25 games since June 5, was robbed of a second-inning home run by Damon Buford, who made a leaping catch at the center-field fence.

Karros also hit a ball to the warning track in the ninth inning off Wetteland.

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Next Series for Dodgers

WHO: Angels

WHERE: at Anaheim

WHEN: Wednesday: 7:30 p.m. and Thursday: 7 p.m.