Dodgers Rally in Ninth to Defeat Reds, 4-3

The pregame media feeding frenzy had subsided. Executive Vice President Fred Claire had escaped being pushed over the railing into the photographers’ well by a swarm of television cameramen. Randy Johnson was still a Mariner. Hideo Nomo and Todd Hollandsworth were still Dodgers.

And Ramon Martinez might have been trying a little too hard to make sure no one forgets who’s the biggest unit on the Dodger pitching staff.

Martinez, 4-0 with a 2.66 earned-run average in his previous six starts before Thursday, struggled mightily this time out, walking six and failing to put the Reds down in order in any inning. But he pitched six anything-but-masterful innings as the Dodgers rallied with a run in the ninth to beat Cincinnati, 4-3, in front of 37,273 at Dodger Stadium.

For the Dodgers, an evening that began with the confusion and anxiety of trade rumors ended with a celebration near the mound after Bobby Bonilla’s slicing line drive glanced off the glove of leaping Cincinnati left fielder Melvin Nieves on the warning track to score Eric Young with two out in the ninth.

With one out, Young hit a rocket that caromed off third baseman Willie Greene. A hustling Young never hesitated and slid face first into second with a double. After Jose Vizcaino struck out, reliever Stan Belinda apparently wanted no part of Gary Sheffield, walking him without coming close to the plate.

Young and Sheffield completed an ill-advised double steal before Bonilla, who twice singled to right, went the other way, his drive barely eluding Nieves.

“I knew they were trying to get to me [instead of pitching to Sheffield],” Bonilla said. “I was looking for something hard and I got something high and hard out over the plate. Everybody dreams of getting a game-winning hit and it’s always nice.”

Martinez may not have been the same pitcher who did not walk a batter and pitched a two-hitter against Arizona in his previous start, but he struck out six and kept his team in the game, throwing 125 pitches. He even added a little offense with a run-scoring triple.

There were other signs that the Dodgers, who are one game over .500, may be ready to make a move in the NL West. Catcher Charles Johnson broke out of a 0-for-35 slump with a monster 432-foot homer to left and Hollandsworth extended his hitting streak to a career-best eight games.

Somebody suggested that the new-look Dodgers were beginning to jell. Bonilla just smiled.

“That’s what they always say when you’re winning,” he said. “A few wins will cure a lot of things.”

Martinez left for a pinch-hitter in the sixth with his team leading, 3-2, but Dodger relievers Mark Guthrie and Antonio Osuna couldn’t make it stand up for even one inning.

Barry Larkin, Eddie Taubensee, Greene and Bret Boone had consecutive singles to tie the score, the Dodgers escaping a potentially much more damaging inning when Greene’s ground ball struck Taubensee on the back of the foot as he raced toward second.

The Reds scored an unearned run in the second inning when Greene reached first after Young bobbled his sharp grounder to second and scored on a double to left by Boone.

Boone was the only Cincinnati player in the starting lineup with a batting average higher than .196 against Martinez.

Martinez showed he’s more than just a pitcher as the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the second. Hollandsworth singled to center and Martinez lined a shot that rolled to the wall in left-center.

“I got some pitches up, especially to Ramon,” Red starter Scott Winchester said. “I got behind him and he was swinging and a couple of pitches later, he had an RBI.”

That’s when things got a little scary for the Dodgers.

Martinez, in pursuit of his first big-league triple, appeared uncertain of whether or not to slide into third and when he finally did, it was far too late. He went down awkwardly and almost caught the cleat of his left foot on the bag, which might have caused a serious injury. But his foot popped loose and he slammed into the base with his buttocks.

Martinez slowly stood up wearing a sheepish grin and brushed himself off.

“Next time, I’m not sliding,” he said.