Reserves Lead Dodgers on a Road Less Traveled

From their disappointing beginning to their mediocre present, the Dodgers haven’t been road warriors.

Poor play away from Dodger Stadium has been constant in their inconsistent performance, and they’re still awaiting a big turnaround. In the meantime, the Dodgers are embracing any positive signs on the road.

They believe they saw some in their 7-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field before 22,616.

On a windy day, starter Ismael Valdes pitched well enough to help the Dodgers win the final game in the three-game series, as they avoided being swept by the Cubs in Chicago for the first time since 1972.

Mark Guthrie and Antonio Osuna combined to pitch three scoreless innings in relief of Valdes, with Osuna earning his first save of the season by pitching the final 2 1/3 innings. Moreover, Dodger reserves played key roles.

Matt Luke and Juan Castro hit home runs while playing in place of first baseman Eric Karros and second baseman Eric Young, who were injured during the game. Forgotten outfielder Roger Cedeno drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh while pinch-hitting with a bases-loaded walk.

And after getting only three hits Wednesday in a 5-0 loss, the Dodgers had 11 hits. They ended Chicago’s four-game winning streak, giving Manager Bill Russell reasons to feel optimistic as the Dodgers continue their nine-game, 10-day journey tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“We haven’t been playing the way we’re capable of playing on the road, and everybody knows that,” Russell said. “But we just have to keep working at it, and trying to break out of it.

“We just need to get going, and we finally got some breaks today. But we have to make more of our own breaks [on the road].”

The Dodgers improved to 10-17 away from home. They have played nine series on the road--winning one.

“We know we’re a better team than we [have been] on the road; something just happens,” center fielder Raul Mondesi said. “But all we have to do is keep playing hard and stay together, and we will win a lot of road games.

“We lost the first two games here, but we played hard today and we won. That’s all we have to do.”

It helped that Valdes (4-5) is emerging as a stopper. He defeated the Marlins, 4-2, on May 10 to give the Dodgers a split in that road series.

On Thursday, Valdes gave up three runs (two earned) and five hits. He struck out four and walked four while throwing 89 pitches, 53 strikes.

“I thought it was another big step for him,” pitching coach Glenn Gregson said. “On a day we needed a solid pitching performance, he stepped up in a big way.”

Of course, it helped that the Dodgers scored seven runs after scoring a total of three in the first two games of the series.

Luke put the Dodgers ahead in the sixth, 3-1, with a leadoff homer--his third home run--against Cub starter Jeremi Gonzalez. Luke entered the game in the bottom of the second after Karros dislocated his left pinkie in the top of the inning. Karros was picked off at first and landed awkwardly on his finger while being tagged out at second. But Luke was ready.

“It’s your job as a bench player to be ready for exactly what happened today,” he said. “You’re not always going to get called on to pinch-hit in the ninth, sometimes it’s a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

Cedeno also was prepared when he hit for Luke in the seventh. He was projected as the starting center fielder in spring training, but he’s now without a position in the overcrowded outfield after the Mike Piazza trade.

After facing a 0-and-2 count with one out, Cedeno walked with the bases loaded against reliever Terry Mulholland, forcing in Gary Sheffield with the go-ahead run.

“Roger comes through with that big bases-loaded walk down 0-and-2, and that kind of broke it open for us,” Russell said. “That’s what you need to really get going.”

And to begin to enjoy life on the road.