Daal Gives the Dodgers a Real Start

The Dodger pitching staff’s insurance policy began paying dividends Thursday night.

Left-hander Omar Daal, who was acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies in November and who demanded a trade in March when he learned he would begin the season in the bullpen, made his first start for the team that originally signed him 12 years ago.

Daal provided a premium performance as the Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres, 5-2, before 24,434 at Dodger Stadium.

Daal gave up two unearned runs and three hits and struck out eight in 61/3 innings as the Dodgers won their second game in a row.

Mark Grudzielanek, the No. 8 hitter, hit a home run and a double, Adrian Beltre extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-run homer and the Dodgers once again received outstanding relief work from Paul Quantrill, Jesse Orosco, Giovanni Carrara and Eric Gagne, who earned his sixth save in six opportunities.

“We got a great performance from Omar Daal and great production from Mark Grudzielanek in a spot that was a huge void for us last season,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said.

In refusing Daal’s trade demand during spring training, Dodger General Manager Dan Evans had described the 30-year-old as a valued asset because the staff included two pitchers--Kevin Brown and Andy Ashby--who had off-season elbow surgery.

Daal had pitched 81/3 innings in four relief appearances before he took the mound in place of Brown, who reinjured his arm last Saturday while pitching against the Padres in San Diego.

Daal (2-0) retired the first nine batters, then gave up an infield single when he was unable to glove a hard ground ball hit by D’Angelo Jimenez. He did not allow another hit until Jimenez singled to start the sixth.

Daal, who had not pitched more than 21/3 innings in four relief appearances, threw 94 pitches in a performance that improved his career record to 45-49 in 125 starts.

Daal said he was not trying to prove anything when he took the mound as a starter for the first time since spring training.

“Everybody knows what I can do,” said Daal, who was 13-7 with a 4.46 earned-run average in 32 starts last season for Philadelphia. “I didn’t think I had to impress anybody.”

Daal impressed the Padres, who arrived in Los Angeles after a 7-2 home stand they concluded by winning two of three games against San Francisco, the first time the Padres had won a series against the Giants since 1999.

“He was throwing everything for strikes and moving everything around the plate,” Padre third baseman Sean Burroughs said. “He didn’t fall behind too much.”

The Dodgers, coming off a 5-4 road trip, took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Shawn Green lined out to right against Brian Tollberg (0-3), scoring Cesar Izturis from third base.

The Padres tied it in the fourth after loading the bases on a single by Jimenez, a walk to Phil Nevin and an error by Izturis at shortstop on a ground ball hit by Bubba Trammell. Jimenez scored on Ron Gant’s fly ball to center field.

Grudzielanek, who entered the game seven for 13 with a home run against Tollberg, put the Dodgers ahead to stay when he led off the fifth with his second homer of the season. The Dodgers went ahead, 3-1, when Dave Roberts scored from third base after Tollberg was unable to come up with Paul Lo Duca’s ground ball to the right of the mound.

The Dodgers scored their final two runs in the sixth on Beltre’s home run into the Dodger bullpen in left one out after Brian Jordan led off the inning with a walk.

But the story of the night was Daal, who signed with the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in 1990 and made 99 relief appearances from 1993-95 before he was traded to the Montreal Expos for minor league pitcher Rick Clelland.

Daal also played for Toronto, Arizona and the Phillies before returning to the Dodgers in a trade for minor league right-handers Jesus Cordero and Eric Junge.

Daal also faced the Padres in his first major league start on Aug. 31, 1996, for Montreal after making 156 relief appearances.

“I feel like a starter,” Daal said, “but reliever or starter--whatever it takes.”