Dodgers May Flail, but They Don’t Fail

There were Todd Hundley, Raul Mondesi and Devon White, free swingers all, showing the approximate discipline of a 19-year-old frat guy at spring break during their bases-loaded at-bats in the first inning.

There was Mark Grudzielanek in the second, emulating his mates by fouling off a two-strike pitch that wasn’t in the same area code as Dodger Stadium’s home plate.

And then Seattle pitcher Freddy Garcia (9-5) made a mistake.

He threw a strike to Grudzielanek, who deposited the ball over the center-field wall for a three-run homer in the Dodgers’ 5-0 victory before 44,653 Friday night.

The victory was their second in a row, something the Dodgers haven’t done since June 25-26. They haven’t won three in a row since April 29-May 1.

They hadn’t had a shutout since May 3.

Friday night’s could have been so easy for starting pitcher Ismael Valdes, who struggled early while working at his normal turtle’s pace in apparent departure from the advice offered by pitching coach Claude Osteen. Valdes (7-7) gave up leadoff hits in three of the first four innings, which slowed the turtle to a snail.

He then settled into a groove and retired nine Mariners in a row into the seventh inning.

Valdes finished the seventh before giving way to pinch-hitter Dave Hansen. He struck out four, including Ken Griffey Jr. twice.

Griffey, who has 28 homers but only two since June 19, also struck out against reliever Pedro Borbon.

But the Dodgers seemed intent on making Valdes work after loading the bases with none out in the first inning.

First Hundley flailed at an inside pitch. Then Mondesi swung and missed an off-speed pitch two feet outside and in the dirt. It was the first of three Mondesi strikeouts, none on pitches resembling either fastballs or strikes.

White followed suit, though the pitch more approximated a strike.

Garcia, who needed 123 efforts to get through five innings, had three of his 10 strikeouts without the real necessity of throwing a strike.

In all, four Mariner pitchers struck out 13 Dodgers.

But in the second, Garcia got greedy.

After Adrian Beltre was hit by a pitch, Craig Counsell dumped a single to center field and was sacrificed by Valdes.

In only his fifth game back after a rehabilitation period in San Bernardino, Grudzielanek fouled off a 2-and-2 pitch that was a foot off the plate, then tied into Garcia’s next offering.

The ball sailed over the Ron Cey sign in left-center, just over the outstretched glove of Griffey.

Flush with a lead, Valdes got out of a two-on, two-out situation in the third inning, then handled the Mariners with seeming ease until a two-hit seventh.

That’s when he got a little help.

With Seattle’s Tom Lampkin on third base, Brian Hunter took off from first and was headed off at the pass by Hundley’s throw on a pitchout. Hunter was caught in a rundown, with Lampkin assessing it while easing off third.

When he considered the time right, Lampkin headed home, but behind Counsell’s throw to the plate. That set up another rundown, with Lampkin being tagged out by third baseman Beltre, ending the inning’s danger.

The Dodgers added a run in the seventh when Beltre doubled, stole third and scored on Grudzielanek’s single, giving him a career-best four RBIs.

His night also included a falling, sprawling catch of a popup into short left field to save a third-inning run, one of several standout efforts by the Dodger defense that saved the shutout.

It dropped the Mariners a game below .500, made things slightly more respectable for the Dodgers as the All-Star break looms and overshadowed a night in which they were 11 for 22 when they put the ball in play. And woeful when they didn’t.