Luke Uses Force, Dodgers Waste It

Matt Luke provided momentum for the Dodgers on Sunday night by hitting two home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It was the type of performance that typically inspires victories--but not this time.

On another sweltering night, the Dodgers wasted the first multi-homer game of the rookie’s career in losing, 5-4, to the Cardinals on John Mabry’s two-out, run-scoring single in the ninth inning.

Mark McGwire scored from second base on Mabry’s single to left against loser Scott Radinsky (4-5). The sliding McGwire barely beat a sweep tag from Charles Johnson after a strong throw to the plate by left fielder Roger Cedeno.

The play completed the Cardinals’ come-from-behind victory before a crowd of 47,006 at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals also salvaged a split of the four-game series in the teams’ final meeting this season.

McGwire failed to hit a home run for the second consecutive game and continues to lead the major leagues with 42 in his pursuit of Roger Maris’ single-season record of 61. McGwire went one for three with a single and walked twice.

For the Dodgers, Sunday’s defeat was one of the toughest moments in a season of frustration.

“I thought we had it,” Manager Glenn Hoffman said. “We dodged some bullets, Luke had a good game to get us ahead, but we just came up short at the very end.”

The Cardinals tied the score, 4-4, in the eighth against Radinsky on run-scoring groundouts by pinch hitters Eli Marrero and Willie McGee.

Radinsky entered the game with no one out and the bases loaded in relief of Antonio Osuna, who was charged with the runs. In his last 6 2/3 innings, Osuna has given up seven runs.

The Dodgers went in order in their half of the ninth. After Ray Lankford struck out swinging to open the ninth for the Cardinals, McGwire walked.

Brian Jordan struck out swinging for the second out, and Radinsky hit Ron Gant with a pitch. Mabry singled in front of Cedeno on a 1-and-2 count, and Cedeno, who entered the game in the eighth, caught the ball on one hop and threw to the plate.

“The throw was a little to my right, but Roger made a good throw,” Johnson said. “There was something on it, I just couldn’t get back quick enough. He made a good slide, and you have to give him credit.”

As soon as the ball was hit, Cedeno knew he was in trouble.

“In that situation, with two outs, they’re going [on contact],” Cedeno said. “I was playing shallow, and I just tried to make a good throw. It was a little bit outside, but I thought it was pretty good.”

The temperature at game time was 98 degrees, and the Cardinals quickly provided some comfort for starter Todd Stottlemyre. Lankford hit a two-run homer--his 15th--in the first inning to stake Stottlemyre to an early lead.

But then it was Luke’s turn. The Dodgers cut the lead to 2-1 in the second when Luke, who singled in his first at-bat, scored from second on Johnson’s two-out, run-scoring single.

Luke, the starting left fielder, hit his sixth homer--a two-run shot--to left-center in the fourth, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. They took a 4-2 lead on Luke’s solo blast to center in the sixth.

“Sometimes you have a good game and the team loses, and sometimes you have a bad game and the team wins,” said Luke, who went three for three. “But winning is the only thing that matters.”

Luke did what he could.