Everything Works Out in the End

It’s not a good time to be a Dodger all-star.

Tom Lasorda is nearly turned into a human pin cushion by a splintered bat at the game itself; Chan Ho Park gives up a home run to Cal Ripken, then gets lit up in his ensuing start; and closer Jeff Shaw blows his first save opportunity after the all-star break.

Somehow, the Dodgers pulled out a 5-3, 15-inning interleague victory Saturday afternoon in front of 35,163 at Network Associates Coliseum, after Shaw’s blown save cost rookie starter Luke Prokopec his first win since May 26.

In a game that lasted two minutes shy of five hours, Al Reyes (2-1), the Dodgers’ seventh pitcher, got the win after blowing a save in the 14th and Oakland’s Mark Guthrie (6-2), the fifth of six Athletic pitchers, suffered the loss.

The Dodgers, who held leads of 2-1 in the ninth inning and 3-2 in the 14th inning, scored the go-ahead runs on two bases-loaded, one-out walks in the 15th to end a three-game losing streak.

After Tom Goodwin struck out to lead off the inning, Marquis Grissom singled to right before Adrian Beltre singled off Oakland shortstop Miguel Tejada, allowing Grissom to move to third.

The left-handed Guthrie then hit Alex Cora with a pitch in the right hand to load the bases--Guthrie claimed afterward that Cora leaned into the pitch--before walking Chad Kreuter to force in Grissom. Oakland Manager Art Howe replaced Guthrie with right-hander Erik Hiljus, who proceeded to walk Paul Lo Duca on four pitches, scoring Beltre.

“It’s got to be one of the best games I’ve ever been associated with,” said Lo Duca, who probably should have been on the National League all-star team and made his first career start in left field. He went two for six with two runs batted in and had a 14th-inning solo home run, his 15th of the season.

“Wow, I mean it seemed like they had a lot of chances and so did we,” Lo Duca said. “It was unbelievable. It was one of those games where it was just a huge game for us to win.”

The Dodgers had a golden opportunity to pad their 2-1 lead in the ninth when Mark Grudzielanek led off with a double into the left-center gap.

But Shawn Green (who went 0 for 7) bounced back to the pitcher and, after Oakland reliever Jeff Tam intentionally walked Gary Sheffield, Eric Karros bounced into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.

“Today’s ballgame is totally indicative of what this team is all about,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said. “It just seems like every time we get pressed up against the wall, we find a way to respond.”

Still, after taking a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a run-scoring Lo Duca single and a wild pitch, the Dodgers were held to only three hits over the final 12 innings. And until Lo Duca’s homer, Oakland relievers had retired 13 consecutive Dodger batters in extra innings.

Almost lost in it all was Prokopec’s sterling outing.

Making his first start since July 3 due to a blister on his right (throwing) middle finger, Prokopec wore an acrylic nail on his finger to alleviate it.

After a shaky first inning in which he walked the first two batters, Prokopec settled down, giving up one run, a solo home run to Jason Giambi in the seventh inning, in 7 1/3 innings on three hits. He walked four batters and struck out one.

“Once he got through the first inning, I think what you saw for the remainder of the time that he was out there was the Luke Prokopec that we’ve seen when he’s been really good,” Tracy said.

Shaw struck out Jeremy Giambi to lead off the ninth inning, but Jason Giambi singled to right a batter later. He was replaced by pinch-runner Mark Bellhorn before Tejada flied out to right for the second out.

With a full count on Terrence Long and Bellhorn running on the pitch, Long took Shaw off the right-center wall for a game-tying double, a sliding Bellhorn beating Grudzielanek’s relay to the plate.

It was 3:42 p.m. The game wouldn’t end until 6:04 p.m.

“If we had gone through the whole bullpen and lost the game, that would have been pretty much a kick in the teeth really,” said Prokopec, who ended the game charting pitches.

In his last five starts, Prokopec is 0-1, despite having an earned-run average of 2.65. He doesn’t care.

“that’s the way it goes, he said. “Some days you get seven runs of support, other days you only get a couple and that’s what you’ve got to work with as a starting pitcher. That’s not the main thing that really bothers me, the [personal] wins. It’s whether we come out as a team and win the ballgame.”

*

RELATED STORIES

Ross Newhan: Alderson trying to get umpires to call strikes. D4

High Notes: Flannery remembers his father with music. D5

Moving Up: McGwire passes Jackson on all-time homer list. D6

On Fire: Mariners’ Garcia is 11-1 after fifth win in a row. D6