Pounded!

The acquisition of catcher Todd Hundley was the biggest gamble of the off-season in baseball, and a move that many in the industry said the Dodgers would quickly regret.

At this point, the critics appear to be correct.

The Dodgers finally admitted as much Tuesday, announcing that Hundley has been replaced indefinitely by rookie Angel Pena. And the Dodgers admit they are uncertain when (or if) the lingering problems caused by Hundley’s reconstructed right elbow will end for him.

The news on the field continued to be demoralizing as well for the Dodgers, who were routed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11-1, and booed throughout by their frustrated fans at Dodger Stadium.

“I’m going to limit Hundley’s time,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “To me, he’s still kind of broken. He feels the pressure to carry the team and hold up his end, and he feels like he’s letting the team and the fans down.”

Hundley accepts the situation.

“The bottom line is results,” Hundley said. “You have to live in reality. I’m not getting the job done back there.”

Hundley will continue to work individually with bullpen coach Rick Dempsey, a longtime major league catcher. Hundley will remain on the active roster to pinch hit and catch occasionally for the time being.

Hundley is making $5.2 million this season. He is guaranteed $6 million in 2000 and the club has a $6-million option (or $500,000 buyout) for 2001.

The switch-hitter is batting only .230 with seven home runs and 20 runs batted in. He has thrown out only 12% (seven of 60) of runners trying to steal.

General Manager Kevin Malone traded catcher Charles Johnson--a four-time Gold Glove award winner--and outfielder Roger Cedeno in a three-team trade to acquire Hundley from the New York Mets. Johnson and Cedeno are thriving with the Orioles and Mets, respectively.

However, on the Dodgers, Hundley is not lone culprit.

The pressure is building for the underachieving team, which has lost four in a row. Johnson conducted a closed-door meeting after yet another bewildering performance.

Starter Kevin Brown had an uncommonly disturbing outing. Brown (7-4) was out of sync from the outset and removed by Johnson after only three innings during his shortest outing in more than three years.

Brown has been the only consistent member of the starting rotation, but the Pirates tagged him for eight hits and eight runs (four earned). The right-hander gave up three home runs for the second time this season, and the Pirates broke the game open by taking a 7-0 lead in the first two innings.

The intensely competitive Brown forgot how many outs there were in the Pirates’ four-run second inning, enabling a run to score when he threw to first on a groundout by Jason Kendall with a runner on third.

The Pirates (33-29) also homered against relievers Doug Bochtler and Jeff Shaw, matching their single-game season-high with five. The Pirates had 14 hits against five Dodger pitchers.

Many in the announced crowd of 26,284 headed for the exits after the second. Those who remained watched the Dodgers commit two errors and repeatedly make mental mistakes that have marked this rapidly eroding season.

The fans provided mock applause in the seventh when the Dodgers scored their only run on a wild pitch by Pirate starter Todd Ritchie (6-4). The right-hander pitched a complete-game seven-hitter.

The Dodgers (29-33) have dropped four games under .500 for the first time this season. They are in fourth place in the National League West, trailing the front-running Arizona Diamondbacks by 8 1/2 games.