Grissom Filling the Void

No Gary Sheffield?

No problem.

At least not when Marquis Grissom is filling in so admirably.

The Dodger outfielder, playing left field in place of the injured Sheffield, followed up his two-homer performance from the night before with a three-hit game Sunday afternoon, including the game-winning single with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning of the Dodgers’ 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros.

In front of 29,356, the Dodgers, who have the most wins at home in the majors with 19 and are tied for first place in the National League West with the Arizona Diamondbacks, swept three games from the Astros at Dodger Stadium for the first time since July 29-31, 1994.

In the 12th inning, Grissom smoked a line drive into the gap in right-center field to score Shawn Green. When Astro center fielder Lance Berkman overran the ball, Adrian Beltre scored from first with the winning run.

“What was special was that we battled back,” said Grissom, who had three singles in six at-bats. “What was most impressive was that we never quit.”

Since taking over for Sheffield, who’s on the verge of being put on the disabled list with a severely sprained left index finger, Grissom is batting .538.

“At this point in my career, there’s a lot of stuff built up,” said Grissom, who made his debut with the Montreal Expos in 1989. “I have a lot to prove to myself. But it’s about winning first and putting up numbers second. It’s more than just playing baseball right now.”

Grissom’s hit made a winner out of Mike Fetters (1-0), who gave up a two-run homer to Berkman in the top of the 12th, Berkman’s second two-run blast of the day.

“I don’t know what I couldn’t say about [Grissom],” Manager Jim Tracy said. “He’s swinging a very potent bat right now and is driving the ball every time he goes to the plate.”

The Dodgers acquired Grissom, 34, in a Feb. 25 trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for Devon White.

“When Marquis Grissom showed up on the scene,” Tracy said, “we knew what he could do on the field. But his presence in the clubhouse has been a godsend. This guy is no stranger to this caliber of play. He’s played on championship clubs. . .”

Grissom won a World Series with the Atlanta Braves in 1995, and was on pennant-winning teams with the Braves in 1996 and the Cleveland Indians in 1997.

“I think the more we play, the more we’re feeling one another,” Grissom said. “Whether we win or lose, we’re feeling each other and we’re trying to go the distance.”

Berkman said he was keeping an eye on Grissom.

“I knew if I could keep him at first, it would give us a chance to get out of the inning,” Berkman said.

“I tried to do too much at the same time and . . . it got by.”

Houston Manager Larry Dierker didn’t blame Berkman.

“He’s not an outfielder; he’s a first baseman,” Dierker said. “He’s not a true center fielder. A true center fielder would have been able to stop that.”

The Dodgers scored their first run in the second inning when Scott Elarton walked Dodger starting pitcher Darren Dreifort with two out and the bases loaded, scoring Beltre.

Dodger catcher Angel Pena gave Dreifort a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning with a leadoff home run, crushing Elarton’s 1-and-0 changeup deep into the field-level seats down the left-field line. It was Pena’s first home run of the year.

For seven innings, Dreifort looked like a $55-million pitcher.

He had surrendered but one hit, a bunt single in the fifth, but the knock on Dreifort, who signed a five-year, $55-million deal with the Dodgers during the off-season, is that he seems to lose interest in the middle of a game.

It happened Sunday in the eighth, when Dreifort gave up a tying two-run homer to Berkman on a 1-and-1 fastball with one out.

Berkman’s second two-run homer of the game, in the 12th inning off a Fetters fastball, gave the Astros a 4-2 lead before the Dodgers rallied back to win in the home half of the inning.

The Dodgers’ first run of the 12th came when Beltre singled up the middle to score Mark Grudzielanek, who had walked.