Dodgers Score Seven and End Losing Streak at Six

No, it wasn’t a mirage, but if Ismael Valdes was confused, he could be excused.

When he went to the mound in the third inning against San Francisco, he had a five-run lead.

His teammates’ offensive largess made his job of beating the Giants, 7-1, a Sunday night drive before 54,731, the ninth largest regular-season crowd in Dodger Stadium history.

The victory broke a six-game Dodger losing streak, and Valdes (6-7) handled seven innings of the work in winning for the first time since May 27. Five decisions have come and gone since then, and the Dodgers have scored only 10 runs in his behalf.

“It’s tough to pitch with one run or two runs a game,” Valdes said. “I just kept saying that it won’t be like this all year. ‘Just keep pitching. Try and not give up too many runs and keep your team in the game.’ ”

Eric Karros made that easy enough.

He gave Valdes all the offensive support he needed with a second-inning home run that produced a 6-1 lead. Karros also drove in Trenidad Hubbard three times: once with something of a rarity--a first-inning pop foul caught by the Giants’ J.T. Snow--a second time on the homer, and a third on a seventh-inning single that finished a five-RBI game.

Hubbard, making a rare start in center field, batted second and had three of the Dodgers’ 11 hits.

“The key for us was [Hubbard] in the two-hole,” Karros said. “I came up three times with guys in scoring position. I can’t remember the last time I did that.”

Karros celebrated his fifth RBI by trying to steal second base in the seventh inning.

Julian Tavarez, the third Giant pitcher of the game, took it personally and the two exchanged words while Karros headed for the dugout. In foul territory, Karros stopped and turned and Tavarez dropped his glove like a hockey enforcer getting ready to rumble.

Plate umpire Joe West interceded and excused Tavarez for the game after both dugouts and bullpens had made a pilgrimage to the infield.

“I don’t know what he said,” Tavarez said. “Karros was mumbling to me. Only he knew what he said. We both looked at each other. He knew what he did.”

What he did was try and steal a base with a 7-1 lead.

Both sides indicated there might be history involved, although neither would elaborate.

“I don’t know if he said anything,” Karros said. “I know he was probably upset with me running. It wasn’t like I’m the one who [fouled] up here.”

While Tavarez gestured “come on” to Karros, Karros merely looked while West took charge of the situation.

“I don’t want to get suspended,” Karros said. “Julian Tavarez getting suspended and me getting suspended, let’s just say it would impact my club more. . . . It’s like when they send in a guy to foul Karl Malone all the time. Not to compare myself to Karl Malone, but you get the idea.”

Early on, it looked as though the six-game Dodger losing streak might be extended when San Francisco took a 1-0 first-inning lead on Marvin Benard’s double, a wild pitch and Jeff Kent’s single.

“We were down, 1-0, and we hadn’t even gotten to the dugout yet,” Karros said.

The Dodgers took a 2-1 when Eric Young walked, went to third base on Hubbard’s double and scored on Gary Sheffield’s single. Hubbard scored on Karros’ sacrifice pop foul.

The 2-1 lead became 6-1 on Hubbard’s RBI single and Karros’ three-run homer in the second inning, and Valdes coasted.

And the Dodgers won for the first time in a week.

“It’s one game,” Karros said. “Is it meaningful? Ask me in a month. We’ve had a lot of games around here that we thought were going to start something.”

Hubbard offered another perspective.

“It’s like putting a Band-Aid on major surgery,” he said.

And it’s time to see if the patient recovers.