Dodgers Not Left Hanging by This Chad

Having spent 15 years in the big leagues with seven teams, several of them twice, catcher Chad Kreuter knows all too well his role as a journeyman catcher. But some years the journey is tougher than others.

This is one of those years.

So a few weeks ago, with cobwebs collecting on his glove and bat, Kreuter sat down with Dodger Manager Jim Tracy and made a plea for more playing time, promising results.

Tracy made good on his promise to pencil Kreuter’s name into the starting lineup more often and Kreuter made good on his promise to produce Thursday, when he came up with three hits, including a two-run homer and a well-placed bunt down the third base line, drove in a season-high three runs and scored two in a 6-2 victory over the Florida Marlins in front of an afternoon Dodger Stadium crowd of 33,278.

Oh yeah, and Kreuter also did an effective job behind the plate as starter Hideo Nomo (12-6) limited Florida to two runs in seven innings with five strikeouts and a walk to end a personal 10-game losing streak against the Marlins. Paul Shuey, who has struggled since coming over from the Cleveland Indians in a trade last month, shut out Florida over the final two innings for his first save.

The victory, the Dodgers’ seventh in their last eight games, improved their record to 73-54, kept them 2 1/2 in front of the San Francisco Giants in the wild-card race and gave the Dodgers some momentum heading into a pair of important series. The National League East-leading Atlanta Braves come into Dodger Stadium tonight to start a three-game series, to be followed by the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks beginning Monday.

“I tip my cap to Trace,” said Kreuter, who appeared in only his 35th game Thursday. “He understood that I was becoming stagnant. He saw the rewards of putting me in although I am not always going to have games like this.”

Of course there’s a good reason why Kreuter, who is hitting .282 with two home runs and 12 RBIs, isn’t playing more. The guy ahead of him is Paul Lo Duca, the versatile, clutch-hitting sparkplug of the team.

And Lo Duca showed that versatility again Thursday in the seventh inning when he squirted a pinch single past pitcher Graeme Lloyd, under the glove of second baseman Luis Castillo and into right-center to tie the score, 2-2.

The Marlins had taken the early lead on Derrek Lee’s fifth-inning home run. And the way Marlin starter Josh Beckett was pitching, it might have held up if the sore finger on his pitching hand had held up.

Tracy had praised the 22-year-old right-hander before the game and nothing he saw on the field caused him to change his mind.

Beckett gave up an infield single to the first man he faced, Dave Roberts, but nothing more through four innings, retiring everyone he faced.

“I think he was throwing stuff as good as any we’ve seen all year,” Dodger right fielder Shawn Green said.

But in the fifth inning, with Adrian Beltre at bat, Beckett felt a familiar pain surface. Twice before this season, he has been put on the disabled list because of a blister on his right index finger. Beckett looked down and, sure enough, the unwanted problem was back.

Beckett stayed in long enough to give up a double to Beltre.

That was enough for Marlin Manager Jeff Torborg, who pulled Beckett.

On came reliever Lloyd, who gave up a game-tying single to Kreuter.

Florida went ahead in the sixth when Castillo singled, stole his major-league leading 40th and 41st bases and scored on a double by Mike Redmond.

But after Lo Duca’s single tied the score, Green smacked a two-run single to give the Dodgers the lead.

Shuey, who entered the game with an 8.38 earned-run average, protected the lead by giving up only a walk over the final two innings.

“My family is here now,” he said of wife Julie and daughters Morgan (age 5) and Casey (3). “I see my kids every day. They are happy and that makes a big difference to me. I was stinking it up before. I am not going to make any excuses. I was not getting it done, but I’m more carefree now.”

Around Dodger Stadium these days, that’s a common feeling.