Hansen Has a Hit on Hands

In between batting practice and the game’s first pitch, Dave Hansen likes to kick back in the Dodger clubhouse and pick at his guitar.

The pinch-hitter plays everything from Metallica to Led Zeppelin to Hootie and the Blowfish.

Hansen could even play a little Hanson and it would still be music to Chan Ho Park’s ears, especially with what the guitar-toting role player did Thursday night.

Batting for Park in the seventh inning of a tie game, Hansen hit a towering shot that landed in the right-field box seats for a solo home run, giving the Dodgers the lead en route to a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros in front of 23,468, the smallest Dodger Stadium crowd of the year.

The homer made a winner of Park in a makeup game necessitated by the April 17 rainout.

“I was just trying to see the ball, stay relaxed,” said Hansen, who has nine career pinch-hit homers. “I just got a pitch I got under enough. I was just as surprised as anyone.

“But that was just one swing in the game. The way the pitchers came in and slammed the door, that was bigger than the home run.”

While Park picked up the win to improve to 7-4, Alan Mills and Terry Adams held the Astros at bay in the eighth. Mike Fetters, enjoying his new and temporary role as closer, pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first save as a Dodger.

Park, who went seven innings and gave up two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking three, credits a new attitude for his good fortune.

“With two strikes especially, I’m more aggressive because in the past I was giving up too many walks,” Park said. “But now I’m not as worried about striking them out. It’s just as good to have them ground out or pop up.”

Dodger Manager Davey Johnson was impressed with Park’s outing.

“Chan Ho was really special tonight,” Johnson said. “From the get-go he had command of his pitches. I really liked the way he stayed focused all seven innings of his stint.”

Houston starter Chris Holt (3-7) took the loss after giving up five runs on nine hits in seven innings. He had four strikeouts and walked three.

With the win, the Dodgers (32-25) pulled within two games of the National League West Division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks, who visit Chavez Ravine next week for a four-game series.

But Thursday night, it was Houston on the minds of the Dodgers, who were starting an 11-game home stand, the second-longest of the season.

The Astros struck first in the second inning. Moises Alou crushed a first-pitch fastball, sending it into the left-field pavilion for a solo home run, his seventh of the year.

The Dodgers responded with a two-out rally in the third.

After Mark Grudzielanek singled and Gary Sheffield drew a walk, Shawn Green’s opposite-field single to left scored Grudzielanek.

Eric Karros followed with a single up the middle to bring home Sheffield and give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

Houston scored in the sixth.

Astro leadoff hitter Craig Biggio’s opposite-field shot to right just cleared the wall for a solo home run, his second of the season.

That set the stage for Hansen’s heroics. His homer, off a 1-2 curveball, was his third of the year and it also broke a 36-inning homerless streak for the Dodgers, their longest home run drought of the season.

Houston threatened in the eighth.

Mills, relieving Park, hit the first batter he faced and gave up a single before striking out Jeff Bagwell.

Adams came in and struck out Ken Caminiti before Alou bounced a grounder up the middle that Dodger shortstop Alex Cora ran down behind second. Spinning to his left, Cora made a strong throw to Karros at first to barely get Alou, who threw his helmet in protest. First-base umpire Jerry Meals immediately ejected Alou.

“What, is Alou supposed to be happy because the umpire blew the call because Karros came off the bag like he always does?” said Astro Manager Larry Dierker, whose team has lost 10 consecutive road games and has a 21-38 record, the worst in baseball. “He does it all the time and they never call it. I’m getting tired of it.”