Dodgers Strain, Then Fall Short

If Darren Dreifort could have faced only the first four hitters in the Philadelphia lineup all night, he would have been set.

While the Dodger starter kept the top of the Phillie batting order in check, it was their bottom five hitters that burned Dreifort.

Their early production set the tone for a 7-6 victory by the Phillies, the team with the worst record in the National League (17-30), in front of 33,967 at Dodger Stadium Saturday night.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre strained his right hamstring running out a ground ball in the sixth inning. His prognosis is day-to-day and he will be reevaluated today.

Dreifort (3-2) gave up six runs and six hits in three innings, striking out five while walking three and giving up two home runs.

Phillie starter Robert Person (5-2) went five innings and gave up four runs and six hits. He walked three and struck out eight.

“Sometimes you beat the devil, sometimes you don’t,” Dreifort said. “They’re all professionals.”

Said Dodger Manager Davey Johnson: “Dreif just didn’t have it, didn’t have his command. He struggled from the get-go.

“But the bullpen did a great job. They kept us in it.”

Until struggling closer Jeff Shaw gave up a solo homer in the ninth, that is.

The Phillies struck for four runs in the second and added two more in the third.

Through three innings, however, the top four Phillie batters were a combined one for seven against Dreifort. The bottom five hitters, meanwhile, were five for eight with two homers, five for six if you leave out the No. 9 hitter, Person.

Phillie shortstop and No. 8 hitter Desi Relaford had a career night at the expense of Dreifort.

Relaford, who had only one hit in 19 previous at-bats at Dodger Stadium, had a three-run homer in the second inning and drove in two more runs with a two-out single in the third.

Relaford, who started his career in the Seattle Mariners organization but wasn’t going to get an opportunity there with Alex Rodriguez entrenched at short, was two for two with two walks and had a career-high five runs batted in.

The Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, marking the fifth straight game they had scored in their first at-bat.

Shawn Green’s two-out ground rule double that bounced off the synthetic warning track and into the right-field pavilion put runners at second and third as Mark Grudzielanek had earlier singled. It was Green’s league-leading 18th double.

Eric Karros followed with a double off the top of the wall in left-center that barely stayed in play, scoring Grudzielanek and Green.

It was the second consecutive night that Karros just missed a home run. On Friday, he went the other way and doubled off the top of the wall in right-center.

Pat Burrell led off the second with a solo shot to right center. Dreifort walked the next batter before giving up a single and then Relaford’s three-run bomb, his third homer of the year.

In the third, Relaford’s two-out single scored Burrell and Rob Ducey.

Dodger rookie reliever Matt Herges replaced Dreifort in the fourth and worked three scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking three, one intentionally, and striking out four.

The Dodgers got within two in the fifth, courtesy of another two-out double by Karros.

His double to the left-field corner scored Todd Hollandsworth, who had singled, and Gary Sheffield, who had walked, for Karros’ team-leading 43rd and 44th RBIs, keeping him among the league’s leaders.

Alan Mills relieved Herges in the seventh and moved his current scoreless streak to 8 2/3 innings over his last six appearances.

The Dodgers threatened in the seventh.

With Grudzielanek on second and Sheffield at first, Philadelphia Manager Terry Francona brought in left-handed Scott Aldred to face Green. Aldred got Green to chase a low and away pitch to strike out. Aldred’s work was done.

Francona then went to right-hander Wayne Gomes to face Karros. Gomes walked Karros to load the bases for Todd Hundley.

Hundley singled off Gomes’ glove to score Grudzielanek and get the Dodgers within one, 6-5, before Dave Hansen hit for Mills.

Hansen lined out to center to end the inning.

Mike Fetters, who came off the disabled list Friday, relieved Mills in the eighth and pitched a scoreless inning.

Closer Jeff Shaw gave up a one-out solo homer to Mike Lieberthal in the ninth, giving the Phillies a two-run lead before the Dodgers made it interesting in their final at-bat.

Sheffield led off the ninth with a solo homer off Jeff Brantley before Green singled up the middle. It was Sheffield’s 15th homer of the year. Karros popped up to short and, with Hundley at the plate, Green stole his team-leading 10th base of the season. Hundley went down swinging and Geronimo Berroa hit for Shaw and, after working a full count, went down looking to end the game.