Not So Great Late, Dodgers Win Anyway

The Dodgers tend to treat an early lead like a heavy meal and immediately fall asleep.

Their closer, Yhency Brazoban, tends to treat a non-save situation like a spring-training drill.

The combination nearly proved fatal Sunday when the Pittsburgh Pirates awakened in the ninth inning against Brazoban and turned a five-run deficit into a situation where a single would have tied the score.

But Steve Schmoll came on to record the final out with runners on second and third, enabling the Dodgers to escape with a 6-4 victory at PNC Park that gave them a split of a six-game trip.

As recently as a week ago that would have fueled talk of catching San Diego in the National League West. But the Padres (56-55) are showing signs of a pulse, winning four in a row to put them a game over .500 and six games ahead of the Dodgers (50-61).

“We want to be in a position where we control our own fate and be within striking distance when we start playing teams in our division the last month,” outfielder Milton Bradley said. “We’ve got to start winning two of three, two of three and three of four to get there.”

They won two of three against the Pirates by scoring six runs in the third inning and watching Jeff Weaver (10-8) dominate by getting ahead of hitters and enticing them to swing at late-count pitches out of the strike zone.

Weaver gave up one run and five hits and walked none in eight innings. He threw only 94 pitches and could have finished the game, but Manager Jim Tracy wanted to give Brazoban work because he hadn’t pitched in five days.

The 25-year-old rookie has 21 saves in 25 chances but his earned-run average is 5.67 and he has six losses. In 18 innings when he wasn’t in a save situation or setting up Eric Gagne, Brazoban has allowed 17 earned runs. In 28 1/3 innings in save or hold situations, he has allowed eight earned runs.

Is there a difference in adrenalin? Is he surprised when he is summoned with a five-run lead?

Brazoban was gone from the clubhouse by the time reporters were allowed in and Tracy said, “I don’t have the answer.”

However, Tracy said Brazoban is still the closer. Schmoll’s save was his third, giving the Dodgers the only two rookies with more than one save.

It never should have gotten that far, though. The Dodgers sent 10 batters to the plate in the third against rookie right-hander Ian Snell, who started because Kip Wells had a broken fingernail.

Weaver and Cesar Izturis singled, and Oscar Robles beat out a bunt to load the bases. Bradley singled in a run, Jeff Kent walked to force in a run and Ricky Ledee singled to bring in Robles.

Hee-Seop Choi broke it open with a two-run single and after Jose Valentin walked, Ledee scored on Dioner Navarro’s double-play grounder.

Perhaps lulled into complacency by Weaver’s effectiveness, the Dodgers had only one hit thereafter, a single by Choi in the eighth.

“Six runs should be enough,” Ledee said. “But we never want to stop scoring because you never know.”

The Pirate ninth started harmlessly when Tike Redman flied out. Bradley missed a diving catch on a liner by Freddy Sanchez and Brazoban walked Jason Bay before giving up RBI singles to Rob Mackowiak and Daryle Ward.

Ryan Doumit popped out but Jose Castillo doubled off the right-field wall, bringing in Mackowiak, bringing up Jack Wilson and bringing out Tracy, who signaled for Schmoll.

The sidearming right-hander struck out Wilson on a slider off the plate and the Dodgers could breathe. Weaver, who normally pitches best late in the season, is 4-0 against the Pirates with a 2.17 ERA.

“We need to rattle off a few wins in a row,” he said. “Our starting pitching is doing a great job of getting deep in games and keeping us close. It’s about time we got on a roll.”

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Closing the deal

How the Dodgers’ Yhency Brazoban compares with the top closers in the National League:

*--* Player, Team W-L ERA SV Chad Cordero, Washington 2-3 1.09 36 Trevor Hoffman, San Diego 1-4 2.84 29 Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis 0-1 1.86 29 Brad Lidge, Houston 3-2 2.35 27 Jose Mesa, Pittsburgh 2-6 3.67 26 Billy Wagner, Philadelphia 4-1 1.86 25 YHENCY BRAZOBAN, DODGERS 2-6 5.67 21

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