Dodgers Already Marked Team

The situation wasn’t identical, but it was similar enough to stir concern for the Dodgers.

Mark McGwire was at bat Thursday during one of those tense moments he enjoys, and the feared Cardinal power hitter had the Dodgers’ hopes in his hands. And once again, McGwire crushed them.

McGwire hit a two-out, three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the 12th inning to lead the Cardinals to an 8-5 victory before 27,414 at Busch Stadium. He had hit a grand slam in the Cardinals’ 6-0 victory in the season opener Tuesday and ruined the two-game series for the visitors.

“He got us in back-to-back games, and the way he did it makes it really hard,” said outfielder Thomas Howard, whose two-run homer in the top of the ninth forced extra innings.

“He’s one of the best in the game, but it’s still tough when he gets you almost the exact same way so close together. Man, is this tough.”

McGwire’s game-winning homer came against reliever Frank Lankford, who at this time last season was pitching in double A in the New York Yankees’ organization. He didn’t face anyone like McGwire then, and fortunately for Lankford and the Dodgers, there aren’t too many like McGwire anywhere.

“The guy has incredible power, and it’s not like you can forget that,” said Lankford, a rookie right-hander. “I just hung a curveball, and you can’t do that against him in any situation.”

Lankford, the seventh Dodger pitcher, entered the game in the 12th. With one out, pitcher Juan Acevedo hit a grounder that second baseman Eric Young fielded and threw wildly to first for his third error of the game.

Acevedo took second on the error, then Lankford hit Royce Clayton on the left forearm with a pitch, putting runners at first and second. After Delino DeShields flied out, the remaining Cardinal fans stood and cheered as McGwire came to the plate.

“We put the kid in the situation where he had to pitch to him,” said Manager Bill Russell, who used 21 players in the game that lasted 4 hours 6 minutes.

“He’s pitchable, but he hung a curveball, and Ramon [Martinez] hung a changeup to him [Tuesday]. You’re just not going to get him that way.”

Lankford struck out McGwire with a curve in the opener, so he stuck with what had worked. McGwire swung and missed at his first pitch--and hit the next into the second deck in left.

“I threw a lollipop curve up there, and I knew it the minute it left my hand,” Lankford said. “I’ll never do that again.”

He threw the pitch McGwire had hoped he would.

“He got me the other day on a breaking ball, and that’s what I was looking for,” McGwire said. “You can keep throwing breaking balls to me, but sooner or later, they’re not going to break.”

McGwire’s performance overshadowed the play of the Dodger bench, which was one of the team’s weaknesses last season. But the new group is said to be improved, and it appeared to be Thursday.

With two out in the top of the ninth, Matt Luke pinch-hit and singled to center against Braden Looper, who is filling in for injured closer Jeff Brantley. Then Howard, who entered the game in the sixth as a defensive replacement, hit Looper’s first pitch to left-center. Center fielder Ray Lankford leaped at the wall, but couldn’t make the play, and the score was tied, 5-5.

Luke also made a crucial play in the bottom of the inning, after remaining in the game in right. With one out, Ron Gant doubled to left against Darren Dreifort, putting the potential winning run in scoring position. After Willie McGee was intentionally walked, Tom Lampkin singled to right, and Gant rounded third with what appeared to be the winning run.

But Luke, who was playing shallow, charged the ball and threw to catcher Mike Piazza, who caught the ball on one hop along the third-base line and tagged the sliding Gant.

Luke pumped his fist and yelled, and stunned Cardinal fans sat quietly. Dreifort got out of the inning by striking out Tom Pagnozzi.

“The whole team contributed in this game, which makes this so tough,” Luke said. “But you realize when you’re going against a guy like McGwire with the game on the line, it’s not going to be easy.”