Green’s Swing Checks Out OK

All-Star right fielder Shawn Green is the key ingredient in a blueprint for success the Dodgers are eager to rediscover.

Green provided the power and the Dodgers got timely contributions from others Saturday in an 8-6, 12-inning victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium.

Green hit a ninth-inning, two-out, two-run home run on a full count against Philadelphia reliever Dan Plesac--on the pitch following a check swing--to force extra innings, prompting many in a crowd of 23,056 to stay longer than expected on another scorching day.

His second homer of the game set the stage for Eric Karros, whose bases-loaded single in the 12th against David Coggin (2-3) drove in Cesar Izturis and Green with the game’s final runs.

“Greenie had a great game today,” Karros said. “Hopefully, it’s something similar to what happened earlier in the year, and puts him on a tear for about a month.”

Paul Quantrill entered and gave up a leadoff single to Placido Polanco, stirring concern less than 24 hours after he failed to preserve a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning of the Phillies’ 3-1 victory.

But Quantrill retired the next three batters, getting his first save of the season and nailing down the victory for closer Eric Gagne (1-0), who was typically dominant in two innings of work. The Dodgers (61-49) rebounded after dropping the opener to the Phillies, and are 5-6 on the trip and 7-15 in the second half.

They left the clubhouse happy for one of the few times recently despite another bad outing from starter Kazuhisa Ishii. Mike Lieberthal hit two homers against the left-hander, who gave up six hits and five runs in five innings after lasting only 2 2/3 innings in his previous start.

But the good outweighed the bad for the Dodgers.

“Everybody knows it’s about a team effort, and that’s what we got today, but Greenie is the guy we count on to do things like that,” second baseman Mark Grudzielanek said. “We count on him because he’s capable of doing it so often.

“It’s no secret we’ve really been struggling. It seems like we’re not getting any breaks and everything is going against us. But when you get a team effort like today, with Greenie doing what he’s done so many times before, it really helps.”

Green was the catalyst with four hits in a 14-hit attack, hitting homers Nos. 29 and 30. Karros had three hits.

That’s the formula Manager Jim Tracy relied on during the first half, and the figures finally added up favorably again.

“I was [recently] asked the question, ‘How important is this guy for us through the course of the remaining games?’ ” Tracy said of Green. “Do we have to see him go on quite the binge that we saw him go on, once he got untracked through the first six weeks? To me, the answer to the question is no.

“But do we need a solid performance from him when he gets opportunities, when people go after him? Yes we do. We have to have that from him. Absolutely.”

Green delivered with his sixth multi-homer game of the season and 23rd of his career, driving in three runs and scoring three. His leadoff homer to right in the third against Philadelphia starter Joe Roa tied the score, 3-3, and his third-level blast to right in the ninth pulled the Dodgers even again.

Dave Hansen, hitting for Marquis Grissom, had an outstanding two-out at-bat against former Dodger Terry Adams with Green on deck. Philadelphia Manager Larry Bowa used Adams in the save situation because closer Jose Mesa was not available after recording his 31st save Friday.

Hansen singled to center, making Green the potential tying run. The left-handed Plesac replaced Adams to face the left-handed-batting Green, hitless in two at-bats with a strikeout against Plesac in his career.

Hansen advanced to second with the defense conceding the base, and the count went to 2-and-2 when Green checked his swing. Or did he?

“I didn’t feel like I did [swing] at the time, but it’s a judgment call, it’s real close,” said Green, who watched nervously as third base umpire Joe West ruled he checked his swing on appeal. “Looking back, now, it doesn’t really matter.”