Bulldog Bites Old Friends

First place wasn’t at stake, the season is far from over and nothing was decided Friday night.

The Dodgers and San Francisco Giants simply played a game. But any encounter between the longtime combatants is meaningful.

Renewing one of the game’s enduring rivalries, the Giants defeated the Dodgers, 6-3, before a raucous sellout crowd of 56,788 at 3Com Park on a typically cold and windy night.

One-time Dodger hero Orel Hershiser (7-6) pitched seven strong innings as the Giants won the first game of the three-game series that leads to the All-Star break.

J.T. Snow’s three-run home run in the fifth inning against Dodger starter Ismael Valdes (6-8) gave the Giants the lead for good, 4-2. Reliever Steve Reed did his part, pitching a scoreless eighth.

Following his proven formula, Giant Manager Dusty Baker summoned all-star closer Robb Nen to finish off the Dodgers.

Nen didn’t disappoint, pitching a scoreless ninth to nail down the victory in the teams’ first meeting since their two-game showdown last Sept. 17-18 that gave the Giants the momentum in the National League West race and propelled them to the division championship.

Nen tied for the National League lead with his 24th save, and the largest non-opening day crowd in stadium history had a victory to celebrate over the hated Dodgers before enjoying a fireworks show. But the fireworks during the game were what captivated the participants.

“This is what baseball is about, a big series between two rivals,” Dodger Manager Glenn Hoffman said. “This rivalry has always been big, and it’s just as big now as it was when I played. But we’re also chasing these guys, and that’s what we have to keep in mind.”

Solo home runs by Gary Sheffield--his 14th--in the second and Raul Mondesi--his 19th--in the fourth against Hershiser gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead through the fourth. But then Snow--who has four home runs and 13 RBIs in his last five games--connected on his 10th home run against Valdes in the fifth to right field on a 1-and-0 count.

And that was enough.

“It was bad pitch,” said Valdes, who gave up eight hits and four runs in six innings. “He was looking for it, and you have to give him credit.”

The Dodgers dropped a game under .500 at 42-43 and further behind their hosts in the NL wild-card race.

The Giants are second in the West at 51-36, and they now lead the Dodgers by eight games in the battle for the wild card.

Although the electric atmosphere of the opener was easy to get caught up in, Dodger veterans cautioned against that.

“The rivalry, Orel pitching against us for the first time, all of that is good for the drama and for big headlines, but the thing we have to stay focused on is the race,” first baseman Eric Karros said. “There’s really no extra incentive other than winning these games.”

For Hershiser either.

He was making his first start against his former teammates, and it took some maneuvering by Baker for the historic event to occur. Baker juggled his staff somewhat, pushing back Hershiser a day in the rotation so that he could start the opener.

It meant that Hershiser would pitch on seven days’ rest, instead of his customary five, but he didn’t appear rusty from the extra time off. Hershiser wasn’t as sharp as during his stirring run in 1988 when he led the Dodgers to the World Series championship, but he was up to the challenge Friday.

Hershiser gave up four hits and three runs. He walked three with a strikeout while throwing 95 pitches, 57 for strikes.

“It was fun to win, and the fact that it was against the Dodgers was extra special,” said Hershiser, who was selected the NL pitcher of the month in May after going 5-0 with a 0.86 earned-run average.

“But it’s not that I was trying to rub it in. I’ve been out of L.A. for four years now, and the Dodgers have made so many changes. It’s not the same club or the same organization, so I don’t sit back on a sentimental journey.

“I am a Giant now, and I hope to be a Giant for a long time.”

* DREW ENDS HOLDOUT: J.D. Drew, a 1997 first-round draft pick who never signed with Philadelphia, comes to terms with St. Louis, which made him a first-round selection again in 1998. C9

* PADRES WIN AGAIN: Walk Tony Gwynn to face Ken Caminiti? That’s what the Colorado Rockies did, and Caminiti made them pay. C9