Gagne Earns Another Save and Some Rest

If Eric Gagne vs. the Boston Red Sox was high drama Saturday afternoon, when the Dodger closer escaped a first-and-third, one-out jam in the ninth inning to save an emotional 5-4 interleague victory before 43,833 in Dodger Stadium, a potential Gagne vs. Dodger Manager Jim Tracy matchup today could be epic.

Gagne’s major league-leading 27th save was his fourth in four days, marking the first time this season the first-year closer has pitched on four consecutive days, and though his pitch counts were low--14, 10, 18, 17--Tracy made it clear he would like the dominating right-hander to rest today.

“There’s a pretty good chance he’ll get [today] off,” Tracy said, mindful of the danger of over-extending a pitcher who has become an overnight closing sensation. “He more than likely won’t want it. Sometimes you have to overrule.”

But if the Dodgers have a one- or two-run lead in the top of the ninth and are on the verge of a three-game sweep of one of baseball’s best teams, Gagne, a Montreal native with the blue-collar mentality of the hockey players he admired as a kid, fully expects to be in the game.

Asked if he needed a day off, Gagne said, “Probably not. If we have a one-run lead ... hopefully we’ll score a lot of runs and I’ll have to take the day off ... but I haven’t thrown a lot of pitches. If the game is close, I’ll be in there, I’ll be good to go.”

He’ll have to wrestle his manager for the ball, though, and that’s a battle Gagne probably won’t win. Tracy, in fact, was hesitant about using Gagne on Saturday, saying before the game that Gagne was “more than likely” available. “We’ll monitor the situation closely,” Tracy said.

The situation couldn’t have called any more clearly for Gagne on a day when the Dodgers moved into a first-place tie with Arizona in the National League West. They erased a 3-0 lead against one of baseball’s hottest pitchers, right-hander Derek Lowe, on Shawn Green’s two-run homer in the fourth, run-scoring singles by Cesar Izturis and Dave Roberts in the fifth and Marquis Grissom’s RBI fielder’s choice in the sixth.

The Red Sox, who got a solo home run from Rickey Henderson and a two-run homer from Nomar Garciaparra off Dodger starter Omar Daal in the fourth, pulled within 5-4 in the eighth. Trot Nixon scored on Henderson’s double-play grounder, which was induced by reliever Paul Quantrill.

Quantrill struck out Johnny Damon to end the eighth inning, and when Gagne headed through the bullpen gate in left field before the ninth, Dodger fans rose to their feet to cheer, showing their appreciation of Gagne’s excellence.

But after Garciaparra flied to the wall in left, Shea Hillenbrand blooped a single to left, and Jason Varitek, who struck out on three Gagne pitches to end Friday night’s game, grounded a single to right, advancing Hillenbrand to third.

A fine mess you’ve gotten us into, Mr. Gagne?

Hardly. Gagne is the primary reason the Dodgers are 40-0 when leading after eight innings and 14-6 in one-run games.

“Sometimes it almost seems he likes it more when there’s a guy on third base and less than two outs,” Green said. “He hasn’t been challenged much this year.”

Gagne, who has a 1.14 earned-run average and only one blown save this season, escaped a first-and-third, one-out jam in San Francisco on April 9. He saved a June 9 game at Baltimore after allowing the tying run to reach third with no outs in the ninth.

Tracy went to the mound to remind Gagne he’d been in his situation before.

“I told him to just relax and take care of business,” Tracy said.

Gagne did, with a little help.

After wiping the sweat away from his goggles, Gagne struck out Brian Daubach on a full-count changeup.

When he jumped ahead of Carlos Baerga with two strikes, Dodger fans again rose to their feet, drowning out the large Red Sox fan contingent with a deafening roar.

Baerga chopped a grounder into the second-base hole, but Alex Cora, who replaced the ejected Mark Grudzielanek in the fourth inning and doubled and scored in the fifth, ranged into right field to make a superb grab, and threw across his body to first to end the game.

“I heard the crowd today, and hopefully it will be like that every time I go out there,” said Gagne, who punctuated the victory with a double pump of his right fist. “The adrenaline rush was even higher, which was good.

“It wasn’t easy, but I got a big strikeout when I needed it, and Alex Cora made a great play. Sometimes you can’t do it by yourself. You’ve got to have teammates behind you. Alex Cora saved the game right there. He should get the save.”