This Time L.A. Gets a Burst of Offense

Maybe now the veterans will allow rookie Hiram Bocachica to play the part of pregame DJ in the Dodger clubhouse.

You couldn’t blame him if he tried again after getting a career-high three hits in his first career start at third base Thursday night in the Dodgers’ 10-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Pacific Bell Park.

Before the Dodgers departed on a nine-game, 10-day trip, Bocachica tried playing the grooving sounds of reggae rappers Chaka Demus and Pliers in the Dodger clubhouse at Chavez Ravine, only to be overruled and see his CD promptly removed. After all, rap music in a baseball clubhouse is about as common as Darren Dreifort’s country ballads are in an NBA locker room.

If Bocachica doesn’t get to select the tunes, Eric Gagne should.

“Gagne threw great,” Bocachica said. “I’m happy for him. I’m more happy the way the team played. Hopefully, we’ll take it from there and keep swinging the bats.”

All Gagne (1-1) did in front of a sellout crowd of 41,059 was hold the Giants to one run and six hits in a career-high eight innings. He struck out seven and walked one while making 122 pitches, 84 for strikes.

“It felt like home,” said Gagne, a native of Montreal. “It’s cold out there. It feels good to put it all together. It was just a lot of fun to play a game like this. It makes it easier when you get runs like this.”

Left-handed rookie Jose Nunez, pitching for the first time since April 8, retired the Giants in the ninth to give the Dodgers a 4-5 record on the trip.

The Dodger pitchers also ended Barry Bonds’ streak of hitting home runs in consecutive games at six, a feat that had equaled a National League record.

The Dodgers had 15 hits, including Gary Sheffield’s team-leading seventh home run, a solo shot into the left-center bleachers.

With the victory, the Dodgers not only handed the Giants their first home loss of the season, they also salvaged the third game of the series and avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Giants for the first time since Aug. 9-11, 1991, at Candlestick Park.

About the only negative in a day that began with the resignation of General Manager Kevin Malone was catcher Paul Lo Duca pulling up lame while trying to run out a double-play ground ball in the fifth inning.

Lo Duca was diagnosed with a mild strain of the left hamstring and will be evaluated today by team physician Frank Jobe.

Giant starter Kirk Rueter (2-1) gave up five runs and seven hits in four innings. The left-hander struck out three and walked two in his 92 pitches, 61 strikes.

Marquis Grissom got things going with a leadoff home run, taking Rueter over the left-field wall for his second homer of the year.

The Giants answered in the second inning.

After J.T. Snow led off with a single to right-center, Russ Davis doubled into the left-field corner, putting runners at second and third with none out.

Gagne struck out Armando Rios and had two strikes on No. 8 hitter Benito Santiago with Rueter on deck. But Santiago lofted a fly ball to center field that was deep enough to allow Snow to tag from third and score on the sacrifice.

The Dodgers grabbed the lead in the fourth.

With one out, Shawn Green doubled off the wall in right-center before Lo Duca lined to center.

Giant center fielder Marvin Benard misjudged the ball and the liner skidded off of his glove for a run-scoring double.

Bocachica followed with a bloop single into center, moving Lo Duca to third.

Lo Duca scored on Jeff Reboulet’s sacrifice bunt.

A two-run fifth inning upped the Dodger lead to 5-1.

Grissom led off with a double before Mark Grudzielanek singled him home.

After Rueter walked Sheffield, Giant Manager Dusty Baker pulled the left-hander in favor of another, Aaron Fultz.

Two batters later, Green singled to score Grudzielanek.

The Dodgers added three runs in the sixth.

Sheffield’s homer in the eighth came on an 0-and-2 Alan Embree pitch.

The final Dodger run came on a ninth-inning triple by Chad Kreuter, scoring Green.