Gagne Gets Rave Reviews After Stopping Red Sox

At this rate, the Dodgers are going to run out of superlatives to describe closer Eric Gagne by, oh, the All-Star break.

The starter-turned-reliever has been dominant all season, but never more so than Friday night, when he struck out all four batters he faced for his major league-leading 26th save, nailing down a 3-2 interleague victory over the Boston Red Sox before 46,719 at Dodger Stadium.

“The stuff he’s featuring now is the best stuff I’ve ever seen,” Dodger right fielder Shawn Green said. “He’s throwing a 97-mph fastball wherever he wants it. He could hit a gnat right now. And his changeup moves so much he can throw it for strikes or in the dirt so hitters will chase it. It’s incredible to watch and fun to play behind. I’m glad I don’t have to face him.”

Trot Nixon, Doug Mirabelli, Lou Merloni and pinch-hitter Jason Varitek had to face Gagne Friday night, and the most they could muster were a few foul balls. Gagne needed only 18 pitches to dispose of the Red Sox, including three to Varitek--who swung and missed badly at each--to end the game.

“That was just pure filth tonight,” fellow reliever Jesse Orosco said. “He’s on top of his game, he loves what he’s doing, and he’s doing it with confidence.”

Gagne lowered his earned run average to 1.17 and has held the opposition to a .138 average (18 for 130). He has struck out 56 and walked only four, one intentionally, in 38 1/3 innings. He has not walked a batter since the ninth inning of a May 4 game against Chicago, a span of 24 1/3 innings and 81 batters.

“He’s not just a guy who throws hard and is firing the ball to the middle of the plate,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said. “It’s 95-98 mph and going corner to corner. When you throw 98 and have a changeup with depth to it, so much so that other teams think it’s a split-fingered fastball, that’s as good a changeup as you’ll see.”

Said Boston starter John Burkett: “That’s the best stuff I’ve seen all year.”

Gagne, the 26-year-old right-hander who struggled as a starter in 2000 and 2001 before moving to the bullpen in spring training, thinks it can be better.

“I want to throw more strikes, I want to be perfect,” Gagne said. “I’d like to throw nine strikes every inning and get three strikeouts and not have anyone hit the ball.”

The velocity of Gagne’s fastball jumped from 94 mph to 98 this season, thanks to a winter strengthening program and his quick adaptation to the let-it-all-hang-out-for-one-inning mentality of a closer. But the key to Gagne’s success has been his 88-mph changeup.

“Anyone can hit a fastball,” Gagne said, “but if you can keep them off-balance with another pitch, it’s tough to adjust to.”

Gagne’s performance preserved the win for Hideo Nomo, who gave up one run and five hits and walked four in seven innings to improve to 7-5, and helped the Dodgers to overcome a monster night by Red Sox third baseman Shea Hillenbrand, who had two solo home runs, a double and a single.

Nomo wobbled in the third inning, walking the bases loaded with two out, he walked another to put runners on first and second with none out in the fourth, he threw 48 pitches in the two innings ... and he hardly flinched.

Nomo is tied for the National League lead with 55 walks, and he once walked 16--yes, in one game--for the Kintetsu Buffaloes during a 191-pitch complete-game victory over the Seibu Lions on July 1, 1994. So this was nothing.

Nomo shook off early control problems, striking out Brian Daubach after shattering two of his bats to end the third inning and wiggling out of the jam in the fourth. Nomo has not lost since May 12 at Florida.

The Dodgers got a key contribution from struggling third baseman Adrian Beltre, who homered in the second inning, and a big hit from diminutive center fielder Dave Roberts, whose two-out, two-run double over the head of Daubach in left field gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead in the fifth.

Though Gagne saved Dodger victories the two previous nights, he threw only 24 total pitches, so Tracy didn’t hesitate going to him again Friday. Four Boston batters later, it was, as Roberts said, “Lights out.”