Dodgers in Need of Extra Effort

The Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks each scored twice in the 16th inning in a game that started Tuesday night and was tied at 6-6 past midnight at Bank One Ballpark before a crowd of 33,197.

Adrian Beltre scored from second base, tying the score at 4-4, on a triple by pinch-hitter Dave Hansen. The score remained 4-4 after 12 innings as this edition went to press.

Gary Sheffield carried the Dodger offense through the first eight innings, hitting a solo home run and run-scoring single.

Second baseman Jay Bell powered the Diamondbacks, hitting two homers against Dodger starter Ismael Valdes, tying the franchise single-game record. The Diamondbacks also matched their franchise single-game record by stealing four bases--in four attempts--against catcher Todd Hundley, who is recovering from reconstructive surgery on his throwing elbow in September of 1997.

The Dodgers rallied in the ninth against Holmes with two out. Mark Grudzielanek singled through the middle and scored on Beltre’s towering double to left-center, cutting the lead to 4-3.

Then the left-handed Hansen hit for reliever Alan Mills against the right-handed Holmes.

Hansen crushed Holmes’ first pitch to right field, and the ball hit off the yellow line in right and bounced back into play. Under Bank One Ballpark rules, the ball had to clear the yellow line in that area to be considered a home run, a Diamondback official said. Hansen, who set the all-time Dodger single-season record with 18 pinch hits in 1993, continues to excel off the bench in his second stint with the team.

Hansen, signed as a free agent in the off-season, is batting .833 as a pinch hitter, getting five hits in six at-bats. He has a homer and three runs batted in. Eric Young grounded out to end the inning, and Dodger closer Jeff Shaw pitched a scoreless ninth to force extra innings.

Holmes replaced Gregg Olson as the Diamondbacks’ closer this week because Olson suffered three blown saves in the first week. Holmes picked up a blown save Tuesday, giving up three hits and two runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Mills’ effort in the eighth was important, holding the Diamondbacks scoreless despite walking two.

The Diamondbacks left the bases loaded when Matt Williams grounded out to end the inning.

The Diamondbacks wasted a strong effort from Armando Reynoso in his first start. He pitched seven strong innings, giving up five hits and one run on Sheffield’s homer in the sixth. Sheffield also had a two-out, run-scoring single in the eighth against reliever Brian Anderson to cut Arizona’s lead to 4-2.

Reynoso helped himself in the fourth, driving in the Diamondbacks’ first run with a two-out single against Valdes, giving Arizona a 1-0 lead. Arizona went ahead, 2-0, on Bell’s leadoff homer in the fifth.

After Sheffield’s two-out homer in the sixth cut the lead to 2-1, the Diamondbacks scored twice in the bottom of the inning, taking a 4-1 lead. Valdes was chased after Bell hit his second homer, and fourth of the season, with two out.

Valdes pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up nine hits--including the two homers to Bell--and four runs. He struck out three and walked three while throwing 108 pitches, 66 strikes.

The 11th inning began badly for the Dodgers, but worked out OK. Long reliever Dave Mlicki, who hadn’t pitched since working two innings Friday, relieved Shaw to start the inning.

Shaw did his job, pitching two scoreless innings. So did the much-maligned Olson, who also pitched two scoreless innings.

Williams led off the 11th with a single to right, and took second on right fielder Raul Mondesi’s throwing error.

Luis Gonzalez then walked on a full count, putting runners on first and second with none out.

Steve Finley laid down a sacrifice bunt that first baseman Eric Karros, charging in, fielded too late.

His high throw pulled second baseman Young off the bag at first, loading the bases with none out.

Then things suddenly went right for the Dodgers.

Bernard Gilkey, hitting for Olson, struck out swinging for the first out. Damian Miller grounded to Beltre, who threw to Hundley to force Williams for the second out at the plate. Then Tony Batista flied out to Mondesi, taking the game to the 12th.