As Mondesi Frets, Dodgers Win in 9th

Dodger center fielder Raul Mondesi is considered among the most talented players in the major leagues. He’s known for his work ethic and was rewarded for his performance during the off-season with a multiyear contract.

But Mondesi is unhappy because of his perception that he has been treated unfairly after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in June. Charges were not filed in the incident--but Mondesi said he feels like a prisoner.

“Everyone looks at me like I’ve done something bad, like I’ve hurt someone,’ Mondesi said Saturday night before the Dodgers rallied to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. “It bothers me a lot because I’m not like that. I’m not like they think.”

After sitting out the last two games because of back stiffness, Mondesi returned to the lineup and the Dodgers scored twice with one out in the ninth inning before 45,187 at Dodger Stadium.

Eric Young’s run-scoring single to right against reliever Mike Williams drove in Adrian Beltre from third with the winning run.

The Dodgers tied the score, 1-1, on Charles Johnson’s scoring single to right-center against reliever Jason Christiansen (2-3), driving in Juan Castro from second. Castro ran for Eric Karros, who opened the inning with a single to center. Antonio Osuna (7-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Dave Mlicki to earn the victory.

Mondesi singled in four at-bats, made two running catches and started a double play. That effort also helped the Dodgers improve to 60-57. He also made a throwing error and struck out three times.

The Pirates scored their run in the sixth.

Leadoff batter Tony Womack stole second after walking to open the inning, and took third when catcher Johnson’s throw went into center. Mondesi’s one-hop throw eluded Beltre at third, and Mlicki didn’t back up the play fast enough. Womack was awarded home when the ball went in the Dodger dugout.

With one out in the eighth, the Dodgers had runners on second and third. But Mondesi struck out and, with Gary Sheffield batting, left fielder Al Martin ended the inning with a spectacular catch, leaping into the first row of seats along the left-field line.

The Dodgers won for the third time in eight games, moving closer to the slumping Chicago Cubs in the National League wild-card race. They now trail the front-running Cubs by four games among six teams battling for the berth.

Mondesi is among the keys to the Dodgers’ playoff hopes, and his sore back isn’t the only thing hurting him now.

“People treat me like I’m a bad guy--like I’m a criminal,” Mondesi said. “They look at me like I’ve done something wrong.

“Wherever I go, I hear about what happened. Every time, I hear about what happened. People think bad things about what happened, they don’t really know what happened.”

Mondesi was arrested in Glendale early June 13--and detained for several hours in the city jail--after two police officers observed him driving erratically, officials said.

He was released from jail before the Dodgers’ game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium, but club officials prohibited him from playing in a 4-2 loss. He returned to the lineup the next day.

Mondesi was given a blood-alcohol test after being pulled over, which determined his blood-alcohol level to be 0.083%. The legal limit for driving in California is 0.08%.

But the Glendale office of the district attorney decided not to file charges against him.

That seemingly ended the situation, but not for Mondesi.

He said he continues to hear derisive comments from fans on the road, as well as at Dodger Stadium.

“When [fans] say I was drunk, that’s not true,” Mondesi said. “They [didn’t] charge me, but people are treating me like they did. They act like they don’t know that [charges weren’t filed].

“I care about the fans, and I play my best for them. I do everything for the fans. I don’t [understand] why they treat me this way.”