10-4: Dodger Batters Go Over and Out on Giants

Who says there’s a power shortage in California?

Maybe Pacific Gas & Electric should have tapped into the Dodger offense before declaring bankruptcy last week. There has been an out-and-out power display at Dodger Stadium this weekend.

For the second consecutive night, the Dodgers clubbed five home runs. And for the second consecutive night, the Dodgers spanked the San Francisco Giants, this time 10-4 on a chilly Saturday evening in front of 38,417.

Dodger starter Chan Ho Park had his scoreless streak end at 33 innings and wasn’t especially sharp, but he didn’t need to be on a night when Shawn Green hit two home runs and Mark Grudzielanek homered for the fourth time in three games.

Park (2-0) gave up four runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked four in his 91 pitches.

Matt Herges gave up one hit in three scoreless innings and Gregg Olson pitched a perfect ninth.

Giant starter Livan Hernandez’s outing, meanwhile, was as saggy as his pants.

Hernandez (1-1) went only 3 1/3 innings and gave up eight runs on seven hits, including five home runs. He walked one and did not strike out a batter.

“We’re swinging the bats well right now,” Green said. “We’ve just got to keep it going.

“It felt good to feel that old feeling up there. Everything was kind of in slow motion.”

It was the second consecutive night that the Dodgers had scored 10 or more runs, the first time they have done that since last May in Florida. Plus, the Dodgers last hit at least five home runs in back-to-back games in 1996, when they clubbed six in consecutive games at Colorado.

“We swung the bats well again tonight,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “Chan Ho wasn’t as sharp as he was [on opening day], but he battled through . . . and that was a sign of maturity.”

Giant Manager Dusty Baker said he was “bewildered” by the Dodger hitting display.

“We usually don’t give up home runs like that,” Baker said. “We’re usually sharp. Our bullpen needs a rest. When you hit the ball in the seats, you make your own chances.”

The Giants got to Park first.

After Armando Rios walked to lead off the second inning, Russ Davis drove a 1-2 offering into the left-center field pavilion for a 2-0 Giant lead.

The Dodgers tied it in the home half of the second. Green led off with a home run to right-center on a 2-1 pitch before Eric Karros took a full-count Hernandez pitch into the left-field pavilion one batter later.

It marked the third consecutive game that the Dodgers had hit back-to-back home runs. The last time they accomplished the feat was in 1996.

The Dodgers added to their lead in the third inning.

With Tom Goodwin on first with a one-out single, Grudzielanek homered to left-center.

Grudzielanek, who has never hit more than 10 homers in a season, has the team lead with four. He has homered in a career-best three consecutive games.

Two batters later, with two out, Green stroked his second homer, taking a 2-2 pitch into the right-field pavilion to give the Dodgers a 5-2 lead.

It was the 12th time in his nine-year career that Green had homered twice in a game, the last time last July, also against the Giants at Dodger Stadium.

The fifth Dodger home run of the night came in the fifth inning when left-handed Chris Donnels took Hernandez just over the 330-foot wall down the left-field line.

Hernandez answered by hitting the next batter, Chad Kreuter, in the leg with a pitch.

After Alex Cora walked and Park bunted them over, Goodwin hit a catchable fly ball to shallow left center that both left fielder Barry Bonds and center fielder Calvin Murray overran, allowing Kreuter and Cora to score.

Baker had seen enough and lifted Hernandez.

The Dodgers, though, touched San Francisco relievers for two runs in the sixth.

After a Phil Hiatt double and a Goodwin single off Aaron Fultz to put runners at second and third, Baker replaced Fultz with Tim Worrell.

Grudzielanek promptly singled in Hiatt and Goodwin, giving Grudzielanek a career best-tying four runs batted in for the game.