Dodgers Make Pieces Fit to Beat Rockies

Dodger Manager Bill Russell said he still has much to learn about his team, and roles won’t be defined soon.

But capable job candidates are emerging.

The Dodgers received key contributions from several players Thursday in their 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Colorado Rockies before an announced crowd of 38,429 on a cold afternoon at Coors Field.

Todd Hollandsworth drove in the decisive run with a two-out single, reliever Jim Bruske earned his first save since 1995 and Wilton Guerrero continued to contribute off the bench.

“This is the way it’s going to be right now,” Russell said. “We’ve got 25 guys on this roster, and I’m going to use them all until we get something set in concrete.”

The Dodgers staked Ramon Martinez to a 3-1 lead through six innings. Martinez, who gave up two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings, was supposed to start Wednesday, but the game was postponed because of snow.

And the conditions weren’t much better Thursday. It snowed throughout the morning and early afternoon, and the temperature at game time was 38 degrees, which contributed to the fourth-smallest crowd in the history of Coors Field.

“No one thought about [the weather], we just focused on making plays and picking each other up,” catcher Mike Piazza said. “When it came right down to it, everybody contributed.”

The Dodgers rallied in the 10th behind shortstop Jose Vizcaino and second baseman Eric Young, who weren’t expected to play. Vizcaino had not played in the field in the previous five games because he is recovering from a strained left hamstring, and Young was supposed to have the day off after undergoing root-canal surgery on Wednesday and a follow-up procedure Thursday morning.

Vizcaino pinch-hit for Juan Castro, who started at shortstop, and opened the inning by reaching second on a two-base error by Colorado center fielder Ellis Burks. He hit a shallow pop-up against closer Jerry Dipoto, and Burks dropped the ball while trying to make a basket catch.

Young hit for Scott Radinsky, who gave up the tying run in the bottom of the ninth on Vinny Castilla’s solo home run, and bunted Vizcaino to third. After Guerrero grounded out, Vizcaino scored when Hollandsworth hit a fastball from Dipoto into left field.

“I got a good pitch to hit, I hit it hard and it went in the right direction,” Hollandsworth said. “E.Y. and Jose were hurting, but we got some big plays from them to get us going.”

The double-play tandem remained in the game, and made key defensive plays that contributed to the Rockies’ seventh loss in nine home games.

Antonio Osuna, who is competing with Radinsky for the closer role, gave up a leadoff double to Mike Lansing. Burks popped out, but that ended Osuna’s work with left-handed power hitter Larry Walker up next.

Walker hit a bouncer past left-handed reliever Mark Guthrie, but Vizcaino scooped up the ball near the bag at second and threw Walker out as Lansing reached third.

Enter Bruske. He faced Dante Bichette--the National League’s leading hitter with a .465 average.

That might not seem like the best situation for someone who was claimed off waivers in the off-season, but Russell said Bruske has been the Dodgers’ best reliever, and the numbers support him. He pitched four scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 7-6, 10-inning victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday, and had pitched 9 1/3 scoreless innings in his last six outings.

Bichette hit a fly ball that Young caught over his shoulder in shallow right for the final out. The save was Bruske’s first since Oct. 1, 1995, against San Diego, and the second in his career.

Guerrero, who started at shortstop the previous two games in place of Vizcaino, started at second Thursday. He went two for five with a double and two runs scored, and played well defensively.

“Bruske, Holly, Wilton . . . they all came up big,” Young said. “That’s what this team needs, to have different people pick us.”