A Difficult Day Gets Even Worse

After getting the devastating news that 19 of them had been hit with fines and suspensions as a result of last week’s fight with fans at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, the Dodgers took out their aggressions on the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday night.

For one inning.

The Dodgers couldn’t sustain the effort and the Reds pounded Dodger relief pitching in the late innings of a 10-3 Cincinnati victory in the series finale in front of 31,740 at Dodger Stadium.

Dodger starter Chan Ho Park took the loss to fall to 4-4. He was charged with four runs on four hits while walking six in six-plus innings. He also had six strikeouts while throwing 113 pitches, 65 for strikes.

Red reliever Scott Sullivan got his first win of the year to improve his record to 1-2.

Cincinnati right fielder Dante Bichette, who started his career with the Angels, had five hits and four runs batted in.

The Dodgers jumped on Cincinnati starter Steve Parris in the first by taking advantage of a Red miscue.

With two out and Mark Grudzielanek on second and Shawn Green on first, Todd Hollandsworth, batting fifth in the lineup instead of his usual leadoff spot, smacked a grounder that Red second baseman Pokey Reese couldn’t handle.

Reese, a Gold Glove winner in 1999, let the ball bounce off him and into right field for his seventh error of the year, allowing Grudzielanek to score. Reese committed seven errors all of last season.

Adrian Beltre followed with a double down the third base line, driving in Green and Hollandsworth, who had to slide at home to beat the throw.

With Reese’s gaffe, all three runs off Parris were unearned.

Cincinnati got close in the fifth before Reese atoned for his mistake in the seventh, when the Reds took off.

In the fifth, Park gave up a two-out, two-run double to Bichette down the left-field line and Michael Tucker scored easily.

The Dodgers had a shot at Griffey, running from first, at the plate but Beltre double-clutched the relay throw to catcher Chad Kreuter, allowing Griffey to slide under the tag. Griffey jumped up, pumped his fist and said something to Kreuter, who was trying to block the plate.

The Reds chased a tired Park in the seventh.

Reese led off the inning with his second home run of the season, a line shot to left-center, just over a leaping Hollandsworth to tie the score at 3-3, before Park hit Tucker with a pitch, the second batter Park plugged in his stint.

Dodger Manager Davey Johnson had seen enough and brought in rookie right-hander Matt Herges.

He fared no better in giving up three more runs--one charged to Park--on two walks and two hits, the big blow a two-run looping single to right by former Dodger Juan Castro.

Recently acquired lefty reliever Trever Miller made his Dodger debut in the eighth and gave up two runs on three hits in a third of an inning.

Dodger closer Jeff Shaw gave up two runs in the ninth.