Dodger Clutch Gives Out, 5-3

Even though Gary Sheffield added to his season-long hitting streak with a home run and tied his career-high hitting streak in the process Sunday afternoon, it didn’t mean much to him.

Not after the Dodger left fielder went one for five and left the bases loaded twice in a 5-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in front of 52,594 at Dodger Stadium.

Sheffield, who has a hit in all 12 games this season and in 18 consecutive dating to last year, left seven runners on base.

“They made some good pitches,” Sheffield said. “That’s part of the game. They’re professionals too.”

With two out in the third and the Reds holding a 1-0 lead, Sheffield barely missed hitting a grand slam. His line drive off Red starter Steve Parris hooked foul and missed the left-field pole by about 10 feet.

Parris then got Sheffield to fly out to center.

Two innings later, Sheffield took Parris deep into the Dodger bullpen in left field for a solo shot on a 1-and-0 count that cut the Cincinnati lead to 3-1.

Sheffield’s fifth home run of the season, and third in as many days, meant he matched the 18-game hitting streak he enjoyed with the San Diego Padres from May 5 to May 25, 1992, the same year he won the National League batting title with a .330 average.

In the seventh with the Reds leading, 3-1, Sheffield had a chance to inflict more damage when he came up with two out and the bases loaded again.

This time, he was facing Scott Williamson.

After working a full count, with the sellout crowd chanting his name, Sheffield chased a nasty curveball that broke off the plate and struck out, just the fourth time he has fanned this season.

For Sheffield and the Dodgers, it was a game of missed opportunities.

“That was the ballgame,” Sheffield said, “a lot of opportunities, a lot of ifs.”

Shawn Green had three of the Dodgers’ six hits and was equally impressed with Williamson’s pitch selection on Sheffield.

“He showed a lot of [guts] throwing a 3-and-2 curve,” said Green, who hammered his second homer of the year on a 3-and-1 fastball off Red reliever Manny Aybar in the eighth inning.

Dodger starter Chan Ho Park showed as much resolve, his lone pitching mistake letting a 1-and-1 changeup get up high enough for Michael Tucker to drive over the right-center wall for a two-run homer in the fourth.

Park took the loss after giving up three runs, two earned, in seven innings.

He struck out four and walked three on 105 pitches, 67 of which were strikes.

“I always expect to pitch well,” said Park, whose record fell to 2-1 with the loss, although his ERA improved to 3.79. “But I missed a couple of pitches and gave up three runs.

“I need to be better for stretches. The two-run home run was too big.”

Park also failed a sacrifice bunt attempt in the third inning with two runners on base and no outs.

Green, who went three for five with a solo homer and two doubles batting cleanup, was the only Dodger to produce.

The Dodgers’ Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 batters were a combined one for 19.

Chad Kreuter, batting in the seventh spot, walked a career-high four times.

Jose Vizcaino, hitting eighth, was one for four with a run-scoring triple in the eighth and pinch-hitter Dave Hansen singled in the seventh.

Dodger left-handed reliever Jeff Williams struggled for the second game in a row, giving up two runs and two hits, including a solo homer to Red catcher Eddie Taubensee, in one-third of an inning.

The Reds took two of three from the Dodgers, despite Ken Griffey Jr. going one for 10 in the series.

“We just didn’t do the fundamentals today,” Dodger Manager Davey Johnson said. “We didn’t get the bunt down, we didn’t get the guy over from second base, we didn’t do the little things.

“But Chan Ho’s pitching was definitely the bright spot of the day.

“He kept us in the game, one we should have won.”