Arizona Gives Herges a Lesson

By PAUL GUTIERREZ

May 9, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PHOENIX —

Matt Herges knew this day would come.

But that didn’t mean he would welcome it with open arms.

Over the weekend, the 30-year-old rookie reliever reflected on his sterling start, a season-long streak in which he reached 19 1/3 innings without giving up an earned run.

“I’ve just got to roll with it because I know it’s going to end soon,” he said, knowing that eventually major league hitters would unload against him.

The Arizona Diamondbacks did the honors Monday night, wasting little time in thumping starter Chan Ho Park and then Herges in a 15-7 Dodger loss in front of 33,338 at Bank One Ballpark Monday night.

“I got absolutely torched,” said Herges, whose scoreless streak ended two batters into his outing. “Where I went wrong, besides keeping everything up in the zone, was going away from my game plan. I wasn’t aggressive with fastballs and I was throwing too many breaking balls.

“They were just raking everything.”

On a night when the Diamondbacks crushed Dodger pitching for 20 hits, equaling an Arizona franchise record for a nine-inning game, they made the previously untouchable Herges look like a batting practice pitcher, punishing him for seven runs, all of which were earned, on eight hits in 1 2/3 innings.

It was just as woeful for Park, who took the loss to fall to 3-3 after giving up eight runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two. It was his shortest outing since the St. Louis Cardinals chased him after 2 2/3 innings on April 23, 1999, at Dodger Stadium, a 12-5 Cardinal win.

“I don’t think I missed many pitches,” Park said. “They were just swinging the bats good. I have no idea [what went wrong]. It was a great day for them.”

Todd Hundley agreed.

“These guys were just hitting some pitches,” the Dodger catcher said. “They were basically hitting every mistake we were throwing up there and some that weren’t mistakes.”

It is the second consecutive game the Dodger pitching staff has been torched. Sunday, the Dodgers gave up 14 runs and 17 hits to the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium.

“Well, I don’t know how that looked to you, but that was kind of ugly,” Dodger Manager Davey Johnson said. “Early on it looked like Chan Ho couldn’t get his fastball were he wanted and he couldn’t get his breaking pitches over. He was throwing all hard stuff and he was getting it up.”

The Diamondbacks batted around three times in the first five innings--in the first, fourth and fifth.

Arizona’s heralded first baseman Erubiel Durazo was the only Diamondback starter to be held hitless, ending his 10-game hitting streak.

But unheralded third baseman Andy Fox swamped the Dodgers with his four-for-five night, including a two-run home run and four runs batted in. Fox was in a one-for-15 slump before the game.

Left-handed starter Omar Daal, a former Dodger, picked up his first win of the season after giving up six runs and six hits in seven innings. He struck out one and walked two.

With Park settling down in the second and third, the Dodgers cut the five-run deficit to one, but the Diamondback deluge restarted.

“Now it’s start-over time and re-proving [that I belong here,]” Herges said, “because I’m shellshocked right now.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Duel in the West

How the Dodgers have fared against Diamondbacks the last two seasons:

1998

At Dodger Stadium: 4-2

At Bank One Ballpark: 4-2

Total: 8-4

Dodger finish: 83-79, third place

Arizona finish: 65-97, fifth

1999