Dodger Win Is a Full Gainer

The successful formula the Dodgers seem to have stumbled onto recently is the one Manager Jim Tracy anticipated seeing all season: solid pitching performances supported by timely hitting, aggressive baserunning and periodic surges of power.

At this late stage, they gain nothing by brooding over the months of offensive frustration that undermine their playoff hopes. Overtaking Florida and Philadelphia in the National League wild-card chase is all they can afford to think of, and their anxious glances at the scoreboard brought them good news Sunday.

They moved within 2 1/2 games of the Marlins and stayed a game behind the Phillies with a 5-2 victory over San Diego, capping their first three-game sweep of the Padres at Dodger Stadium since May 1994. Hideo Nomo (16-11) gave up two runs and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings in his return from a rotator cuff inflammation, matching the career high in victories he set in 1996 and equaled last season. He was backed by two home runs by backup catcher David Ross and one each by Jeromy Burnitz and Robin Ventura.

Eric Gagne pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to earn his 51st consecutive save this season and 59th in a row since Aug. 29, 2002. It was the seventh time this season he pitched more than an inning to get a save.

“There’s a lot of baseball to play,” Tracy said. “Two weeks’ worth of games with the key matchups you have and the number of games that still have to be played. It’s up for grabs. That’s all there is to it.”

The Dodgers have won eight of their last 10 but have gained only a half-game in the wild-card race. By winning 13 of their last 17 games they’ve climbed from seventh in the wild-card standings to third -- but they’ve gained no ground on the Marlins, who lost to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday but have also won 13 of their last 17.

“It’s always nice to pick one up, whether you play good or bad,” Ross said after the first multi-homer game of his career. “We’re playing good baseball, and that’s all we can do. We can’t watch what the other teams are doing.”

The temptation, however, is tough to resist.

“That’s the way it is in September when you’re in the race,” said Gagne, who came into the game with Mark Loretta on second and two out in the eighth and hit Brian Giles before getting Phil Nevin on an inning-ending groundout. He closed out the game and delighted the crowd of 45,405 by getting a ground out and two strikeouts, padding his season strikeout total to 129 in 76 innings.

“Every single game is important,” he added. “We’ve got to do our job.”

Tracy had planned to pull Nomo at the slightest sign of discomfort or after about 90 pitches, but he went to the bullpen for Guillermo Mota after Nomo had thrown 71 pitches. Nomo, who is 6-0 in day games, gave up a one-out home run to Giles in the fourth -- ending a streak of 36 1/3 consecutive innings in which Dodger starters hadn’t given up an earned run -- and he gave up a one-out homer to Sean Burroughs in the sixth.

Nomo didn’t appear to labor and he didn’t want to leave, but he had no choice.

“I can’t really help it,” Nomo said through a translator. “I’m sure my pitches were really limited. I’m regretful I couldn’t go longer.”

Said pitching coach Jim Colborn: “He’s coming back [from an injury]. It’s not good sense to push it the first time.”

The Dodger hitters did their part with a 12-hit effort. After collecting five hits in the first two innings against starter Ben Howard (1-2) but failing to score, they broke through in the third. Ventura’s two-run homer to right-center began the barrage and foreshadowed back-to-back homers by Burnitz and Ross, the Dodgers’ first three-home run inning this season.

Burnitz’s home run, a two-out drive to right, ended an 0-for-16 streak. And Ross’ drive to left gave the Dodgers their first back-to-back homers of the season and first since Shawn Green and Brian Jordan did it Sept. 2, 2002 at Arizona, a span of 173 games.

“It’s good the boys are swinging the bat well, because it’s the right time to do so,” Burnitz said.

There’s still time. But not much, and they don’t control the clock.