Nunez Takes One for Team

With the Dodgers getting pummeled Saturday, out of bullpen options and facing another busy week, Manager Jim Tracy made a difficult decision.

He sacrificed Jose Nunez in the worst defeat in Los Angeles franchise history, watching uncomfortably while the Chicago Cubs overwhelmed the rookie reliever in a 20-1 victory at Wrigley Field.

Nunez had the poorest outing of his distressful first season, giving up six hits and nine runs (five earned) in a 1 2/3-inning appearance that was trying for everyone in the Dodger dugout.

With consecutive eight-run innings in the seventh and eighth, the Cubs broke open a 4-1 game against Terry Adams and Nunez before a crowd of 38,468--the Cubs’ largest of the season.

Chris Donnels restored order.

With two out and the bases loaded in the eighth, the infielder relieved Nunez and retired Gary Matthews Jr. on a groundout.

His effective relief work, though, did not prevent an unsettling history lesson.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ previous record for losing margin was 18 runs in the Cincinnati Reds’ 18-0 victory Aug. 8, 1965, at Cincinnati.

At least this edition did not match the all-time franchise mark. On June 8, 1940, the Reds defeated the Brooklyn club, 23-2, at Ebbets Field.

The Dodgers had many concerns, but Nunez topped the list.

“You don’t like to see something like that happen, you don’t like to see something like that happen to that young kid, but I admire him for the fact that he salvaged our bullpen for a club that’s in first place, has another ballgame to play [today] and then seven more next week,” said Tracy, who had a closed-door meeting with Nunez and pitching coach Jim Colborn after the game.

“I obviously didn’t like the way the situation went, and yet you have to think about what lies ahead.”

Nunez, 22, declined comment.

A Rule 5 draft selection from the New York Mets, Nunez has given up four home runs in six appearances and been used in mostly mop-up duty recently.

His earned-run average increased from 9.53 to 13.50.

“It just snowballed into an untenable situation, and before you knew it, there was no good decision left,” Colborn said. “It was a huge challenge. I’m sure he never faced anything like this, and it’s going to take a lot of understanding. The whole team was supportive.”

As much as possible.

“I don’t even know if he [speaks] English, so I don’t know what you can do,” Gary Sheffield said of the quiet native of the Dominican Republic.

Cub Manager Don Baylor expressed empathy for Nunez.

“I felt bad for the kid, but you have to play the game,” he said. “It’s not like you’re up there to make outs.”

Starter Darren Dreifort (1-2) also contributed to the shaky pitching performance in a six-inning outing.

Sammy Sosa and Todd Hundley hit two-run home runs off him in the fourth to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead.

Adams relieved Dreifort, winless in his last four starts, in the seventh and also had a nightmarish experience.

The setup man gave up six hits and was charged with seven runs without recording an out, increasing his ERA from 2.37 to 5.68.

“[A game like Saturday’s] happens, it seems, like once or twice a year,” said Donnels, who said he last pitched in an American Legion game in 1984. “Hopefully, this is ours and we got it out of the way.”