Mondesi Cleans Up

They have lofty goals and are under pressure to win now, acknowledging talk about the future won’t cut it this time.

Expectations must be met, and failure will be magnified because of what has been done and what is at stake. With that backdrop, Raul Mondesi stepped to the plate in two key situations Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks determined to help the Dodgers start in the right direction.

He did in a big way.

The new cleanup batter hit a game-winning, two-out, two-run home run--his second important homer in the game--against loser John Frascatore, completing a stirring 8-6 come-from-behind victory before what remained of a sellout opening-day crowd of 53,109 at Dodger Stadium.

With Gary Sheffield at first base, Mondesi crushed a 1-and-0 slider from Frascatore into the left-field pavilion, enabling the Dodgers to overcome an uncharacteristically shaky performance by new staff ace Kevin Brown, who was chased after only 5 2/3 unremarkable innings.

Mondesi also tied the score in the ninth, 6-6, with a two-out, three-run homer into the Dodger bullpen in left against Diamondback closer Gregg Olson after starter Randy Johnson, Arizona’s dominant left-hander, pitched seven strong innings and left with a 6-2 lead. With six runs batted in, Mondesi, who also singled twice and walked in six plate appearances, matched his personal best in RBIs for the third time.

Closer Jeff Shaw benefited, earning the victory with two perfect innings. The Dodger bullpen, considered a potential weakness beginning the season, came through with five hitless innings after the sixth.

The Dodgers had 13 hits, and center fielder Devon White made a strong debut, going two-for-five and hitting a one-out solo homer against Johnson in the fourth. But it was Mondesi who powered the Dodger victory.

Mondesi said he wanted to bat cleanup, and the right fielder made the most of his first opportunity this season.

“I said [to myself], ‘If he throws me anything close to the plate, I have to take a good swing,’ because that was our only chance to tie the game,” Mondesi said of his game-tying blast against Olson in the ninth. “On that, [his homer in the 11th] I got another good pitch. It looked good to me, so I swung and we went home.”

Mondesi’s ninth two-homer game also made Manager Davey Johnson a winner in his debut, unexpectedly giving Johnson reason to smile after watching the Dodgers struggle for seven innings against the hard-throwing Johnson.

“Brownie struggled a little bit today, we needed someone to pick us up, and Mondy really came through,” Johnson said. “We had to use up the pen, [long man Dave] Mlicki was the last guy I had out there, and he was going to have to go in until his arm fell off if Mondy didn’t come up with something.

“Mondy crushed that pitch and really saved the day. He’s going to make it hard on me to move him out of there [cleanup].”

The Dodgers cut the Diamondback lead to 6-3 in the eighth on Eric Karros’ one-out, run-scoring single that drove in Sheffield, who doubled to open the inning. Sheffield also walked with two out in the 11th on a full count against Frascatore to set up Mondesi’s game-winner.

“Kevin Brown is a great pitcher, but even great pitchers sometimes have bad days, and that’s when you need other guys to pick him up,” said Sheffield, previously Brown’s teammate with the Florida Marlins. “There are going to be times when he’s going to go out there and shut down the opposition and carry us. But today he needed us to help him.”

Brown was definitely un-Brown-like in his Dodger debut, giving up 10 hits--including three homers--and five earned runs. Brown struck out seven and walked two while throwing 111 pitches, 72 for strikes.

The right-hander failed to hold leads of 1-0 and 2-1, giving up two homers in the Diamondback five-run sixth as they batted around. Bernard Gilkey opened the inning with his second solo homer against Brown, and Brown’s work was finished after Jay Bell’s three-run blast gave the Diamondbacks a 5-2 lead, stirring boos among the frustrated fans.

Brown was greeted by boos as he walked toward the Dodger dugout, presumably because fans expect more from $105-million pitchers.

To Brown’s credit, though, he remained in the Dodger dugout to support his teammates. After the game, he answered the same questions over and over from throngs of reporters in the clubhouse.

Brown’s said Mondesi’s clutch performance would make it easier for him to sleep.

“You never want to pitch bad, but if you’re going to pitch bad, it’s easier when the team wins,” Brown said. “The fact that we came back to win makes it a lot better, because that’s what it’s all about.

“I really don’t think it boils down to one thing for me today. When I made bad pitches, they got hits. Some days, you make mistakes and you can’t get away with it.”

The anticipated pitching duel between Brown and Johnson didn’t materialize, at least not on the level of their last encounter. In Game 1 of the National League division series last season, Brown, pitching for the San Diego Padres, struck out 16 to defeat Johnson and the Houston Astros, 2-1.

Johnson gave up five hits and two runs, striking out nine with six walks. He threw 70 strikes in 125 pitches.

“I pitched seven quality innings, and I felt I put us in a position where we could win the game,” Johnson said. “Sometimes you pitch a bad game and win, and sometimes you pitch a good game and lose.”

BOOM . . . 9th inning, Arizona 6, Dodgers 3, two out, two on: Mondesi hits a 3-and-0 fastball from Arizona closer Gregg Olson deep into the left-field bullpen to tie the score.

. . . BOOM! 11th inning, Arizona 6, Dodgers 6, two out, one on: Mondesi celebrates (above) after hitting 1-and-0 pitch from John Frascatore over the left-field fence to win the game.

BY THE NUMBERS

22-20: Dodger record on opening day since moving to Los Angeles

6: Runs batted in for Raul Mondesi

11: RBIs in April for Mondesi last season

3: Home runs given up by Kevin Brown in 5 2/3 innings

8: Home runs given up by Brown in 257 innings last season

ALSO

McGWIRE’S ON PACE FOR 162: Mark McGwire hit his first home run of the season in a 10-8 rain-delayed loss to Milwaukee. PAGE 8

EARLY WYNN DIES: Hall of Fame pitcher who won Cy Young Award at 39 and had 300 victories passes on at age 79. Page 7