McGriff Takes Two Bites Out of the Dodgers

It was not the Dodgers’ most lopsided loss of the season, but it was certainly the ugliest, an eyesore of an 8-3 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Cubs before 46,026 in Dodger Stadium Friday night.

How fitting the Dodgers gave away rally towels before the game. There was quite a mess to clean up afterward.

Twice, the Dodgers failed to execute sacrifice bunts that could have aided rallies when the game was still close, and twice Dodger starter Andy Ashby hung curveballs that were belted for home runs.

There was an inexcusable mental gaffe by Brian Jordan, whose failure to run out a fifth-inning popup resulted in a double play.

The Dodgers failed to score after loading the bases with one out in the sixth, and a Dodger bullpen that tossed six shutout innings in Thursday night’s 14-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds was roughed up for five runs in three innings.

“It was one of those days,” Dodger catcher Paul Lo Duca said. “We played a 14-inning game last night and came out a little sluggish tonight. We had our chances to blow the game open and didn’t take advantage of it.”

Cub first baseman Fred McGriff became the 27th player in major league history to reach 450 home runs when he homered to center off Ashby in the top of the sixth to tie the score, 3-3, and his three-run homer in the seventh broke open a one-run game and gave the Cubs a 7-3 lead.

But before the Cubs rallied for four runs in the seventh, the Dodgers threatened in the bottom of the sixth when Eric Karros led off with a single and Adrian Beltre singled to right, putting runners on first and second with the score tied, 3-3.

Up stepped No. 8 batter Mark Grudzielanek, who singled in his first two at-bats. Grudzielanek admitted earlier this season that he is not a very good bunter, but Manager Jim Tracy asked him to sacrifice anyway and Grudzielanek fouled off three consecutive bunt attempts for a strikeout.

Pinch-hitter Dave Hansen walked to load the bases, but pinch-hitter Marquis Grissom struck out trying to check his swing on a Ron Mahay fastball, and Cesar Izturis flied to right to end the inning.

There was a little twist to the Grudzielanek at-bat. Tracy actually removed the bunt sign with two strikes, but Grudzielanek, who couldn’t pull his bat back on a high-and-tight second pitch, bunted on his own.

“I probably should have tried to hit away, but I was just trying to get the guys over,” Grudzielanek said. “If I get the bunt down and we score, [Tracy] looks great. To do what I did was probably unacceptable. I haven’t bunted much in the past. I’m not a good bunter, never have been.

“I was more disappointed I wasn’t able to pull the bat back on the second pitch, because that’s what the manager wanted. I was trying to do what the manager asked. Then, I took it upon myself to try to get the last one down.”

Former Dodger Delino DeShields doubled off reliever Jesse Orosco to lead off the seventh for the Cubs. Corey Patterson sent a sacrifice bunt attempt past the charging Beltre at third, and with Izturis covering second, the shortstop hole was vacant.

Patterson’s bunt rolled toward the outfield grass, enabling DeShields to score from second for a 4-3 lead and the speedy Patterson to take second, a play that was ruled a bunt double. Tracy summoned right-hander Paul Quantrill, who hit Mark Bellhorn with a pitch.

Quantrill struck out Sammy Sosa and got Moises Alou to fly to left, but McGriff ripped a fastball over the wall in center for a three-run home run and a 7-3 lead.

“You don’t see a bunt double very often,” Cub Manager Don Baylor said. “It’s the little things that win games.”

Alex Gonzalez’s two-run homer in the second gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead, but the Dodgers scored in the second (Grudzielanek RBI single) and twice in the third on RBI singles by Lo Duca and Shawn Green to take a 3-2 lead. The third inning could have been a lot bigger, but with runners on first and second and none out, Jordan popped to first, Karros popped to short and Beltre flied to center.

Jordan extended his hitless string to 14 consecutive at-bats, but that wasn’t as humbling as his mistake in the fifth, when he failed to run out an infield fly with Green on first and one out.

Bellhorn, the Cub third baseman, couldn’t make the catch, but he had plenty of time to recover and throw Jordan out at first. Green had to hold near first base on the popup and was tagged out in a brief rundown between first and second, ending the inning.