Nomo’s Decline Picks Up Speed

What’s wrong with Hideo Nomo?

There are as many theories about what has happened to the Dodger right-hander as there are twists and turns in his windmill delivery.

Among those theories are:

* He is still suffering from the effects of getting hit above the elbow on his pitching arm by a line drive off the bat of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Scott Rolen in July.

* In this, Nomo’s third season, hitters have finally learned to time the confusing windup in which he seems to turn his back to home plate.

* His fastball has lost its zip.

* He simply has a problem with his mechanics, as both he and pitching coach Dave Wallace have insisted.

Whatever the problem, of this there can be no dispute: Nomo is not the same pitcher he was when he electrified major league baseball in 1995 and was named National League Rookie of the Year.

Nomo certainly wasn’t the same Monday night, giving up three home runs and five runs in the first three innings, sending the Florida Marlins on their way to an 8-4 victory over the Dodgers in front of a Dodger Stadium crowd of 45,195.

The loss enabled the idle San Francisco Giants to pick up half a game on the National League West-leading Dodgers, leaving the Giants 1 1/2 games back.

Trailing, 5-0, the Dodgers crept within 5-4 before Jeff Conine supplied the crusher, hitting a three-run homer off reliever Mark Guthrie in the ninth. It was Conine’s 14th homer.

Nomo, 0-4 against the Marlins this season, first got into trouble with two out in the first inning when Gary Sheffield hit his 18th home run of the season into the seats in left-center.

And that was just the beginning.

Nomo (13-11) then issued walks to Bobby Bonilla and Darren Daulton, bringing up Moises Alou, who hit a 1-and-1 pitch into the left-field stands for his 20th home run to open up a 4-0 lead.

In the third, Nomo gave up Daulton’s 13th homer and the score was 5-0.

The barrage of homers sent Nomo’s earned-run average soaring to 4.30. In his previous two seasons, he had an ERA of 2.90.

Nomo’s explanation for his troubles Monday?

“I’m having problems with my control,” he said. “Tonight too, it was my fastball. I just didn’t have velocity on the ball tonight. I have been fixing my form at places where I can. I’ve just been trying to do everything I can.”

Still, nobody in the dugout of the Marlins, who had lost the first three games of this series, was about to start celebrating.

Since the Dodgers acquired Otis Nixon and Eric Young last month, opposing pitchers sit uneasily upon all but the biggest of leads. And Monday night was no exception.

The last time Marlin right-hander Kevin Brown (13-8) faced the Dodgers, he one-hit them. But that was back in July in the pre-Nixon, pre-Young days.

This time, despite the big lead, he found it was far more difficult to stifle the Dodger offense.

They began the long climb back in the bottom of the third. Young singled, moved to second on an infield out and scored on a single by Mike Piazza.

In the fourth, the top of the order struck again.

This time, Young singled home a run and Nixon brought the other in on a fielder’s choice, his speed preventing a Marlin double play.

But Brown hung tough until departing after seven innings. He gave up 10 hits, but stranded 10 runners.

In the eighth inning, the Dodgers finally got their long-awaited look at Paul Konerko, the Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player who hit .323 for the Dodgers’ triple-A team at Albuquerque with 37 home runs and 127 RBIs in 130 games.

Dodger Manager Bill Russell has been looking for a one-sided game in which to try out the rookie.

Good luck.

The Dodgers just don’t seem to play one-sided games.

So, with his club trailing, 5-3, Russell sent Konerko up for his first at-bat to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Konerko responded with a solid single to right.

And the Dodgers wound up cashing that in on a fielder’s choice by Young.

But, with two men aboard, Mike Piazza grounded into a double play.

Conine broke the game open in the ninth, leaving the Dodgers to ponder why Nomomania has suddenly turned into Nomomediocrity.