Mondesi Is Back in the Swing

Raul Mondesi took a long and leisurely jog around the bases in the third inning Saturday, waving his hands and soaking up every ounce of his two-run home run that helped catapult the Dodgers to a 13-3 interleague blowout of the Angels before 39,808 in Edison Field.

No wonder: The way Mondesi has been swinging the last month and a half, who knows when he’ll trot this way again?

Mondesi’s blast against Angel starter and loser Steve Sparks was his first home run since June 8, a span of 39 days and 112 at-bats. Between homers, the Dodger right fielder and erstwhile cleanup batter went 20 for 113 (.177) with six runs batted in and 27 strikeouts.

“Basically, that was to thank God I finally hit one,” Mondesi said, explaining his exuberance. “I know I’ve been in a slump. When you’re in a slump you think too much, and that will do you no good. When you’re doing well, you can do anything. It took a lot of weight off me.”

Mondesi’s homer gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead and provided starter Chan Ho Park with a big enough cushion to pitch aggressively instead of nibbling around the strike zone, which he has done too often this season.

Park gave up two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings, walking five but striking out six. Sparks was bombed for seven runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings, matching his worst outing of the season.

Dodger first baseman Eric Karros, rumored to be headed to Anaheim in a trade--the Angels wish--had a three-run home run and a bases-empty shot, his 18th and 19th homers of the season, and Angel Pena added a three-run homer, spoiling the return of Angel cleanup batter Tim Salmon.

The original comeback plan called for Salmon to be in Adelanto facing High Desert pitcher Jeremy Ward on Saturday night. Instead, Salmon was much closer to sea level, facing Park in Edison Field.

Three hits, including two doubles, in five at-bats for Class-A Lake Elsinore on Friday night and a clean bill of health Saturday morning reduced Salmon’s minor league rehabilitation assignment to one game.

“I thought I’d be [with Lake Elsinore] at least through Sunday,” said Salmon, who hadn’t played since spraining his left wrist on May 3, “but the combination of me getting three hits and the team losing Friday night sped things up.”

That momentum slowed considerably Saturday. Salmon was hitless in five at-bats, striking out after receiving a standing ovation in the first inning, hitting an RBI fielder’s choice, popping to second, grounding weakly to second and grounding into a game-ending double play.

“My eyes would see something and my hands didn’t quite get there,” Salmon said. “All the balls I hit, I was just a click off. But I swung the bat aggressively a few times, I felt good, I saw the ball well, and I’m encouraged by that. It’s just a matter of timing. . . . It doesn’t happen overnight.”

For Mondesi, very little has happened for more than a month. Opponents have been pitching Mondesi away, and Dodger batting instructor Rick Down kept drilling this thought into Mondesi’s head: Take what they give you, don’t try to pull everything. In addition to Mondesi’s homer to left-center, he doubled off the right-field wall in the ninth.

“Mondy is very important to this club, we have to have him,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “If he’s going well, the other guys will go well, and that will get us going.”

The Dodgers’ fifth victory in six games didn’t move them out of last place in the National League West, but at least they have some company in their misery--they now share the basement with Colorado.

The Angels didn’t lose any ground on first-place Texas, remaining 7 1/2 games back, but after two days in third place, they fell back into last.

Outside of Troy Glaus’ fourth-inning comebacker that drilled Park in the leg, the Angels were unable to exact much revenge against Park for his karate-like kick to Angel pitcher Tim Belcher, which sparked a bench-clearing incident in Dodger Stadium on June 5.

Park (6-7) kept the Angel offense in neutral for most of the day, while the Dodgers went full throttle against Sparks and several relievers, pounding out 14 hits and a season-high four homers.

“The big lead helped me relax and be confident,” Park said. “I wasn’t afraid to throw the ball down the middle for strikes.”

OSUNA FINISHED: Dodger reliever is found to have a torn ligament in his elbow and club won’t pick up 2000 option. Page 7