Young Guys Get It Done

While everyone else was showering, Dodger catching coach Jon Debus studied videotape of the just-completed game with prize pupil Dioner Navarro. They watched a trio of rookie relievers teeter on the edge of disaster before nailing down a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals.

Had they given the film a title, it would have been “Three Men and a Maybe.”

Steve Schmoll, Jonathan Broxton and Yhency Brazoban staggered through the eighth and ninth innings Tuesday night without squandering a lead produced by four home runs in cavernous RFK Memorial Stadium, making a winner of Jeff Weaver.

“There will be growing pains,” Weaver said. “Tonight we were able to get through it without blood being spent.”

Homers by Jeff Kent and Jason Repko and a two-run shot by Jason Phillips enabled Weaver (9-8) to hand the ball to Duaner Sanchez with a 4-2 lead after Brian Schneider led off the seventh inning with a single.

Sanchez sailed through an inning but was lifted for pinch-hitter Hee-Seop Choi to lead off the eighth. Choi, who hasn’t started since July 24, hit his first home run in 47 days to give the Dodgers enough of a cushion for the three rookies.

Make that four.

Navarro has played in all of eight major league games. He made his first error when he threw wildly to second on a stolen-base attempt in the eighth inning that allowed Jose Guillen to score the fourth National run.

Broxton was pitching, having replaced Schmoll, who recorded two outs on long fly balls but also gave up two hits and a walk. Broxton, who was in his third game since being promoted from triple A, walked Schneider before getting pinch-hitter Carlos Baerga to ground out.

Next came Brazoban, who has been spotty as the closer. Jose Vidro doubled with two out, sliding around Kent’s tag, but Guillen hit a grounder to Brazoban, who had his 21st save.

“We grew up a little bit,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “We got the kids out there at the end of the game, and they stepped up nicely.”

Tracy’s moves worked out well, two days after he was criticized for having No. 3 hitter Milton Bradley bunt in the ninth inning of a game the Dodgers lost in 10 innings to St. Louis.

His decision to start Phillips at first base and continue to use Choi as a pinch-hitter proved astute. Dodger front-office executives have scratched their heads recently, wondering why Choi rarely plays despite carrying an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .800.

Although the overall batting numbers of Phillips and Choi are about equal, Tracy said the determining factor is that Phillips is batting .315 with runners in scoring position, and Choi is at .177.

Choi’s latest role is to lead off a late inning as a pinch-hitter. He has singled, doubled and walked in recent games. This time he delivered the big blow. And true to his easygoing nature, he didn’t complain about losing his starting job.

“Every time I pinch-hit, it can be a big hit,” he said.

Tracy also went with the relatively inexperienced Sanchez, Schmoll and Broxton against left-handed batters instead of veteran Giovanni Carrara, who has the best track record against left-handers of anyone in the bullpen.

With Wilson Alvarez contemplating retirement and Kelly Wunsch out for the season because of an injury, the Dodgers have no left-handed relievers. It’s going to be up to the “Young and the Right-Handed” to hold leads.

Sanchez, in his second full season, is in the odd position of providing a steady hand to players less experienced than himself.

“We all know we don’t have a lefty,” he said. “Tracy knows how to handle it. But it’s going to be kind of crazy.”