Dreifort Gets Off to a Shaky Start

Usually, Darren Dreifort has a stock saying when describing his latest outing.

“Sometimes you beat the devil,” he says, “sometimes he beats you.”

While the devil didn’t show up Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, Arizona Diamondback starter Curt Schilling did.

In his first official outing since signing a five-year, $55-million deal with the Dodgers in December, Dreifort was pounded by the Diamondbacks and booed off the field.

In the Dodgers’ 7-2 loss before 34,301, Dreifort (0-1) gave up six runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four, walked one and unleashed a wild pitch in his brief outing, which consisted of 75 pitches, 51 strikes.

The Dodger offense wasn’t much better, mustering only five hits, three by Shawn Green, who was three for four with three singles.

The Dodgers have only 15 hits in the first three games of the season.

“I felt good,” Dreifort said. “I just got beat.

“Obviously I was hoping for a better start than that. I just didn’t get it done tonight.”

Schilling, who will make $6.5 million this year, dominated the dormant Dodger bats, earning the win after striking out 12 and giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits. In his 116 pitches, Schilling threw 77 strikes.

Dodger reliever Matt Herges gave up two hits while walking two and striking out two in his 2 1/3 innings, then Jose Nunez gave up a second home run in as many nights to Arizona’s Luis Gonzalez, who has hit three in two games.

“That’s not exactly what Darren Dreifort was looking for,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said. “Still, in all, his delivery and mechanics were good.

“He was around the plate the entire time he was out there.”

Said Arizona Manager Bob Brenly: “We knew Dreifort would be tough tonight. A lot of the grounders we hit found holes that could have easily been fielded.”

The Diamondbacks got to Dreifort in the first inning.

With two outs, Gonzalez, who had a game-winning two-run home run the night before, went deep again.

Gonzalez drove a 1-0 Dreifort offering halfway up the right-field pavilion for a solo home run.

Paul LoDuca evened it up for the Dodgers in the third inning. LoDuca’s opposite-field shot on a 1-1 Schilling pitch eluded a leaping David Dellucci and just cleared the right-field wall.

But the Diamondbacks chased Dreifort, sending 10 batters to the plate in six-hit, five-run fifth inning.

With two out and Damian Miller on second, courtesy of Dreifort’s wild pitch, Tony Womack singled to score Miller. Womack advanced to second base when Dodger center fielder Marquis Grissom missed the cutoff man, mostly because the cutoff man was nowhere to be found with shortstop Alex Cora on the ground after diving after the ball and both second baseman Mark Grudzielanek and first baseman Eric Karros out of position.

Mark Grace followed with a flare to left field that dropped just in front of Gary Sheffield, scoring Womack.

After Gonzalez singled, Matt Williams doubled down the right-field line, driving in Grace.

Dreifort then walked Steve Finley on four pitches before Dellucci singled on a first-pitch offering from Dreifort, ending Dreifort’s night.

The Dodgers got one run back in the sixth inning.

With two out and Grudzielanek on second, courtesy of a Matt Williams error, and Green on first after a single, Karros lofted a shallow fly ball to center field that landed in front of Finley.

Finley overran the ball, but Green wound up stranded on third and Karros held at first.

In the ninth, Gonzalez homered to right-center on a 2-2 Nunez pitch. It marked the ninth time in Gonzalez’s 10-year career that he has homered twice in a game, the last being Aug. 3, 2000 against the Atlanta Braves.

“When either Randy [Johnson] or Curt pitch,” Gonzalez said, “we just try to get some runs early and ride them the rest of the way.”