Dodger Loss Is Relative

OK, so he’s not Fernando.

Not yet.

He’s not even Denny Neagle.

On a hot, humid Turner Field on Friday night, thrown into the opener of an important four-game series against the best team in the National League, 20-year-old Dennis Reyes suffered his first career defeat, losing to the Atlanta Braves, 4-1, in front of a sellout crowd of 48,721.

It was the Dodgers’ third consecutive loss after the team had won 11 of 12.

But even in defeat, even with the distraction of a 51-minute rain delay at the start of the game, and even with the intimidating lineup Atlanta puts on the field, the raw talent and impressive poise that drew comparisons to Fernando Valenzuela in Reyes’ winning debut at Dodger Stadium last Sunday again shone through.

“I thought he did a good job,” Dodger pitching coach Dave Wallace said. “Coming into their park and challenging that lineup doesn’t seem to scare him. That’s good. He has a great air about him.”

To be sure, Reyes made some mistakes. He gave up nine hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking three. And he gave up home runs to Andruw Jones, his eighth, and Fred McGriff, his 12th.

Jones homered in the second, a two-run shot into the left-field stands to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. The Braves tacked on another run in the fifth after Tony Graffanino led off with a double. Neagle bunted the runner to third and Jeff Blauser singled to make the score 3-0.

McGriff hit a Reyes fastball over the center-field wall in the seventh to end the Braves’ scoring, but the Atlanta first baseman was impressed nonetheless.

“He was like Fernando out there,” McGriff said. “The guy has a chance to be a pretty good pitcher. He’s got a pretty good arm. He’s wild, but he’s effectively wild. You didn’t know if he was getting ready to throw one over your head or getting ready to throw a strike. He’s tough.”

With coach Manny Mota as his interpreter, Reyes said his appearance Sunday against the San Francisco Giants gave him added confidence Friday night.

“I tried to do the same thing [as Sunday],” Reyes said, “only it didn’t come out the same way.”

Reyes, who has been at the double-A level this year with San Antonio and at triple-A with Albuquerque, said there is a big difference facing major league hitters.

“You have to make the perfect pitch all the time,” he explained. “You have to concentrate more.”

Although he didn’t clock him, Wallace estimates that Reyes’ fastball, his best pitch, traveled 90-91 mph Friday.

“I don’t know if he realizes how good a fastball he has,” Wallace said. “When he gets in a jam, something happens and he seems to get another foot out of that fastball. He turns it up another notch.”

Reyes has had to turn it up since he arrived last week to fill in for the injured Ismael Valdes, facing both the NL West-leading Giants and NL-best Braves.

Reyes will probably get only one more chance, if that, to show what he can do at the big-league level. With Valdes recovering from a strained hamstring and eligible to come off the disabled list Monday, Dodger Manager Bill Russell said Reyes probably will get one more start if Valdes isn’t ready.

Russell said he would not keep Reyes around simply to fill in from the bullpen, preferring to let him learn and grow in the minors.

Reyes, however, figures to be back. Whether that will be with the Dodgers is another question.

After making a spirited run at the Giants, moving within three games of the division lead, the Dodgers have run into some good arms in the last few days and those arms have disarmed the Dodger offense.

Kevin Brown of the Florida Marlins one-hit the Dodgers on Wednesday. In improving to 13-2 Friday night, Neagle gave up one run, on Raul Mondesi’s 19th homer, and five hits while striking out seven. He did not walk a batter.

Neagle impressed Dodger shortstop Tripp Cromer.

“He hits the spots that he wants to hit,” Cromer said. “He throws it in and out and up and down. He gets you to hit the ball at people and he throws in a couple of strikeouts once in awhile.”

It was Neagle’s night Friday.

But, based on what they saw, the Dodgers are convinced Reyes will have many of his own nights in the future.