Bounce Is Missing in Dodgers’ Step in St. Louis

Long rain delays, poor offense, botched plays and fielding blunders.

Tough trip.

The Dodgers capped a short but draining trip Sunday afternoon, wasting another outstanding outing by Kevin Brown in a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pinch-hitter Larry Sutton’s ninth-inning, two-out, run-scoring single off the glove of Dodger second baseman Mark Grudzielanek was the difference as the Cardinals completed a three-game sweep before another sellout crowd of 47,062 at Busch Stadium.

Sutton, activated before the game, singled on a full count against reliever Antonio Osuna (0-4), driving in Edgar Renteria from second when Grudzielanek was unable to keep the ball in the infield. The Cardinals--the National League Central division leaders--won their fourth in a row, while the Dodgers (38-35) matched a season-high with their fourth consecutive loss.

The Dodgers collapsed after winning their first two games on the six-game trip. They stalled offensively after five rain delays totaling 5 hours 36 minutes the first two games this series, and ran on empty at the plate and in the field on a sunny Sunday.

Even Brown’s eight-inning, one-run, nine-strikeout performance didn’t boost the sagging Dodgers, who left St. Louis wondering what could have been.

“We had a hard time getting going after all that,” said left fielder Gary Sheffield, hitless in two at-bats with two walks. “The [delays] set us back, and we were just flat the last couple of days.

“You know that’s part of the game, and [the Cardinals] had to deal with it too, so you don’t want to make any excuses in this game. But the fact is, it was just tough after that.”

Apparently.

The Dodgers had only six hits in each of the final two games. Leadoff batter Shawn Gilbert provided their only run Sunday with a fifth-inning solo shot--his first homer as a Dodger--against St. Louis rookie starter Rick Ankiel, who pitched seven efficient innings.

The Dodgers appeared a step slower than the Cardinals on Saturday--and several steps Sunday.

“It looks like we’re just a little tired,” said Manager Davey Johnson, whose team trails the Arizona Diamondbacks by 4 1/2 in the National League West. “This has been a draining kind of a trip.”

The Dodgers’ performance Sunday took a lot out of Johnson.

With the score tied, 1-1, they failed to execute on sacrifice bunt attempts in the seventh and ninth. And Grudzielanek, who made several good plays, failed to knock down Sutton’s hard hopper.

In the seventh, Chad Kreuter walked to start the inning and Kevin Elster singled, putting runners on first and second with none out. Brown popped out to third while trying to bunt, and Kreuter was caught off second for a double play.

In the ninth, Elster fouled out trying to bunt after Kreuter singled to start the inning. Dave Hansen pinch-hit for Brown and grounded into a double play.

“The game came down to the fact that I didn’t get a bunt down,” said Brown, who suffered a broken finger attempting to bunt April 8 in New York. “I get a bunt down and we win the game. That’s the one [situation] I could control.”

Grudzielanek felt similarly about Sutton’s grounder.

Osuna walked Renteria with one out in the ninth. Mike Matheny then showed the Dodgers how to bunt, moving Renteria to second.

Sutton hit a grounder up the middle that Grudzielanek got his glove on before it rolled into center, allowing Renteria to score easily.

“It was hit a little harder than I thought,” said Grudzielanek, who increased his hitting streak to 10 games but also committed his eighth error. “I was just trying to make a play on it to keep it in the infield, and it took a little bounce on the end.

“I didn’t think I had to dive for it, but maybe I should have. It was just a tough play.”

Like the trip.