Dodgers End Spring With the Homer-Field Advantage

In the end, Jason Dickson was the lucky one.

He was the only Angel starting pitcher not to appear against the Dodgers. So he was the only Angel starting pitcher who didn’t have to watch the ball sail over a fence the past three days.

Sunday was Jack McDowell’s turn. He pitched well, extremely well at times, in his six innings. He was also taken deep twice in the second inning in a 4-2 Dodger victory in front of 24,721 at Dodger Stadium.

That brought the tally to six home runs and 18 runs in 18 innings against four of the five Angel starters during the three-game Freeway Series in which the Dodgers won twice. Not that Manager Terry Collins is concerned. As he sees it, as long as you have your health, you have everything.

“That was our No. 1 concern coming into spring training,” Collins said. “You can’t tell a whole lot about your pitching during spring training. But you have to stay healthy.”

Collins knows that well.

Chuck Finley started last season on the disabled list. Mark Gubicza made two starts, then was sidelined for the rest of the season. Steve Ontiveros, once thought to be their fifth starter, was in the middle of his two-year Angel odyssey, most of it on the disabled list.

The epidemic even hit the bullpen, as closer Troy Percival went on the disabled list April 7.

This spring, there has been no need to perform triage. Dickson’s sore shoulder early in camp was the only problem among the starers, leaving lots of optimism.

“If we stay healthy, we have five guys who can win a lot of games,” starter Allen Watson said.

The Dodgers are used to such a luxury. Chan Ho Park started Sunday and went three innings, giving up only Tim Salmon’s bases-empty home run in the first and Jim Edmonds’ double in the third.

The Dodger rotation, as usual, was among the best in baseball last season. The Angels? Well, minor league journeyman Dennis Springer had 28 starts. Collins spent the season patching up the rotation. Meanwhile, McDowell, the American League Cy Young winner in 1993, spent most of it watching.

His last regular-season start was on May 12 for the Cleveland Indians. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow eight days later and sat out the remainder of the season.

So Sunday’s start was another big step forward for McDowell. Excluding the second inning.

It started badly. Todd Zeile led off and hit an 0-2 pitch over the left-field fence to tie the score, 1-1. Raul Mondesi singled and, one out later, Tom Prince doubled. Trenidad Hubbard then hit McDowell’s 1-0 pitch over the right-field fence.

It was the fifth homer that McDowell has given up in this last two starts. On the bright side, the previous four had come on two-strike pitches.

Other than the second, McDowell looked much as he has in past years. He gave up only two other hits and struck out five.

“He showed how good Jack McDowell can be,” Collins said. “He got a fastball up to Hubbard and left a curve over the plate to Zeile. After that he was sharp.

“We have Jack and Chuck Finley and Ken Hill to start this season. Things are shaping up.”

McDowell was the only one of those three who handled Dodger rookie first baseman Paul Konerko, who hit three homers in the series but was 0 for 3 Sunday.

* SERIES REPORT: C4

* DODGERS MAKE CUTS: C4