Dodgers Receive a Canadian Clubbing

Manager Glenn Hoffman accepted his position under difficult circumstances, assuming control of the Dodgers during this turbulent season.

And Hoffman’s job hasn’t gotten easier.

He reached the low point in his brief tenure Thursday afternoon in a 9-0 loss that completed the Montreal Expos’ three-game sweep before a crowd of 11,791 at Olympic Stadium.

The Dodgers finished 4-6 on their disappointing trip, and Hoffman was understandably concerned.

“This one was really tough,” Hoffman said. “I didn’t do anything right, [the players] didn’t do anything right.

“We didn’t hit the ball and we just didn’t do much [overall]. I just want to throw this one out and start over.”

Dodger left-hander Carlos Perez (7-11) struggled in his first appearance against his former team. He gave up eight hits--two of them home runs--and was charged with seven runs in five-plus innings. With two out in the fourth, the Expos scored four runs against Perez.

The Dodgers had only two hits, both off Jeremy Powell, the Expos’ third rookie starter in the series. Powell (1-1) pitched six innings in his second start, and journeyman relievers Mike Maddux and Anthony Telford held the Dodgers hitless in the last three innings.

Montreal second baseman Wilton Guerrero singled in four at-bats and scored a run. In his first series against his former team, Guerrero was three for 11 with three runs and one run batted in.

The Dodgers dropped to 58-57 after they had moved a season-high five games above .500 early in the trip. They returned to Los Angeles six games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League wild-card race, a game further behind than they were when they left town.

They were swept in a three-game series by Montreal for the first time since May of 1995--and were dominated in the final two games.

Despite major moves intended to bolster the team and help Hoffman, the Dodgers are still searching for answers.

“I’m not really sure what’s wrong,” Hoffman said. “We’re without some big guys in our lineup, and we have some guys out there now who haven’t been out there too much lately. They’re trying to get their swings back, and maybe they’re pressing a little bit. I’m hurting after that because I feel for these guys.”

Center fielder Raul Mondesi sat out Thursday’s game after he had been removed because of recurring back stiffness in the third inning of a 5-1 loss Wednesday. He is scheduled to be examined by a team physician in Los Angeles today.

Right fielder Gary Sheffield sat out his third successive game while completing his suspension for fighting.

Mondesi and Sheffield are the Dodgers’ offensive catalysts, and players acknowledged that the team isn’t as good without them. But they added that losing three consecutive games to the inexperienced, payroll-slashed Expos isn’t acceptable.

“This is totally a wake-up call for everybody,” said left fielder Bobby Bonilla, who went hitless in three at-bats in his second game since being activated from the disabled list.

“This is a wake-up call for the manager, the coaching staff, the players, for [interim General Manager] Tommy [Lasorda]. No one in the organization can dismiss this. We just didn’t come up short here--we got our [butts] kicked.”

The Dodgers were two games under .500 at 36-38 when Hoffman succeeded Bill Russell on June 22.

They have added closer Jeff Shaw, Perez and shortstop Mark Grudzielanek. Lasorda has bumped the payroll to nearly $60 million with those acquisitions, and recently guaranteed that the Dodgers would get the wild-card berth.

But the Dodgers are only 22-19 under Hoffman and haven’t had at least a four-game winning streak under either manager. They have 47 games left.

“The road trip could have been better, but it also could have been a lot worse,” Hoffman said. “We didn’t play well, but we only lost, what, a game to the Cubs?

“We’ve got the talent to do it. All we have to do is regroup and go out and play good baseball. We still have time to do it.”

But not much.

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ANGELS TO GET JUDEN

The Angels are expected to announce the acquisition of veteran right-hander Jeff Juden. C8

MYERS TO PADRES

San Diego has left-handed complement to Hoffman after a waiver deal with Blue Jays. C9