Astacio Is Tough Nut for Dodgers to Crack

The Dodgers’ recent good fortune ended Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium with an unkind assist from an old friend.

For the second time this season, Colorado right-hander Pedro Astacio foiled his former team in a 5-4 victory before 34,721 at Dodger Stadium.

Astacio (10-8) gave up four runs, eight hits and struck out six in eight innings. He improved to 3-1 lifetime against the Dodgers, who traded him to the Rockies for second baseman Eric Young in August 1997.

Kurt Abbott’s solo home run against Ismael Valdes in the eighth inning broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Rockies the victory.

Colorado left fielder Dante Bichette, who was three for five, drove in three runs with two doubles and also ended a Dodger rally in the fifth inning when he threw out Mark Grudzielanek at the plate on a single by Devon White.

The Dodgers came into the game having won eight of their last 10, their only losses extra-inning defeats against the Angels and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

They continued to swing powerful bats, with Todd Hollandsworth and Raul Mondesi hitting home runs, their sixth and team-leading 22nd, respectively.

But that wasn’t enough against Astacio, who pitched a six-hitter with no walks and 10 strikeouts in a 5-2 victory over the Dodgers at Coors Field on July 6.

It was the second consecutive impressive performance by Astacio, who gave up one earned run and struck out seven in eight innings in a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds last Friday.

“Pedro’s stepped up to be our No. 1 guy and stop the losing streaks,” Bichette said. “I’m surprised more people don’t talk about him in regard to late-season trades. He’s a big-game pitcher.”

Valdes (8-8) entered the game having won his last three starts after losing a career-high five in a row with a no-decision in June. He had given up only two runs and 14 hits in his last 19 innings against the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Angels.

Valdes was coming off a victory against the Angels last Friday, a game in which he was forced to leave after five innings because of a bruise on his right palm suffered when he knocked down a line drive by Matt Walbeck.

Valdes gave up five runs and 12 hits in eight innings. He looked as if he still might be suffering from the bruise when he gave up two runs in the first inning.

After Neifi Perez lined out to center to lead off the game, Valdes walked Darryl Hamilton, then gave up an infield single to Larry Walker. Bichette, who had a club-record 48 doubles last season, doubled down the left-field line, scoring both runners.

The Dodgers answered in the home half of the first.

Grudzielanek singled with one out and Hollandsworth, batting third and playing first base, blasted a 2-2 pitch from Astacio over the center-field fence for his fourth homer since last Friday.

The Rockies regained the lead in the third with help, once again, from Hamilton and Bichette.

Hamilton got aboard with a leadoff double, and after Walker flied out to left, Bichette doubled into the right-field corner for a 3-2 lead.

But the Dodgers came right back with a two-out, two-run rally.

Astacio struck out Hollandsworth and got Gary Sheffield to pop out to second before walking White. Mondesi stepped in and hit Astacio’s first pitch into the seats in the left-field corner for a 4-3 lead.

The Rockies tied the score in the sixth on a run-scoring single by Henry Blanco after Valdes issued a one-out walk to Todd Helton and gave up a double to Abbott.

The Rockies, who were coming off a sweep by the Oakland Athletics, got the cushion they needed when Abbott hit a 3-2 pitch from Valdes over the left-field fence for his sixth homer.

Dave Veres relieved Astacio in the ninth inning and earned his 16th save by striking out Todd Hundley, getting Adrian Beltre to ground out to third and striking out Eric Karros, who had entered the game at first base as part of a double-switch in the ninth.