Werth Spices It Up in Win

Jayson Werth tore open the package delivered to his locker and let out a shriek of delight. There it was in a tiny bottle -- the mystery elixir that would make him hot, hot, hot. Wow, did it ever work.

After ingesting a few drops mixed in a glass of water, Werth doubled, tripled and singled twice in the Dodgers’ 10-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, giving his batting average a jolt from .205 to .273.

Players normally don’t divulge slump-busting secrets, but Werth wants to spread the word.

“Cayenne pepper, 250,000 heat units of it,” he said. “It cleanses your system and it’s for heart health. At the same time, it helps circulation.”

It was as if Werth doused everyone with the potent pepper potion, the Dodgers and Brewers combining for 29 hits in front of an announced 40,876 at Dodger Stadium.

Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew continued to scald the ball for the Dodgers (29-27), who won three of four against the Brewers (26-30) after opening the 13-game homestand with three losses to the Chicago Cubs. Kent had two doubles and two singles, driving in a run with each hit to give him 44 runs batted in. Drew doubled, singled, drove in a run and scored twice.

Antonio Perez scored three runs and had two hits to lift his average above .400, Jason Repko had two hits and pinch-hitter Mike Edwards had a two-run single that extended the Dodger lead to 8-3 in the fifth inning.

Brad Penny (3-2) benefited, notching a win despite giving up five runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Carlos Lee had five hits for the Brewers, four days after Derrek Lee of the Cubs had five hits against the Dodgers.

The Detroit Tigers begin a three-game series at Dodger Stadium today, and the only advance scouting the Dodgers need to know is that no one named Lee is on their roster.

“Watch the good teams, they win series,” Penny said. “We’re home and we have to keep winning.”

The Dodgers won without shortstop and leadoff batter Cesar Izturis, who was given a day off after going hitless in his last 14 at-bats. Manager Jim Tracy rolled his Rs, starting rookies Repko, Oscar Robles and catcher Mike Rose.

Kent played first base, Robles played shortstop and Perez, normally the third baseman, played second. The way the Dodgers hit, the patchwork defense didn’t matter.

A four-run rally in the third was keyed by Kent’s RBI double and Werth’s two-run triple. And a three-run fifth began with a single by Werth.

“A lot of hitting seems to happen during Sunday afternoon games,” Werth said. “I think it has something to do with playing in front of the sun.”

Werth was the crowd’s favorite son for a day, and he was peppered with applause even after popping up in his last at-bat. It was as if Dodger fans were finally welcoming him back after his two-month stint on the disabled list.

He was hit by an A.J. Burnett fastball in his first spring-training at-bat March 2, breaking his left wrist. His recovery was slow and included a lengthy stay in Vero Beach, Fla., and 13 rehabilitation games at triple-A Las Vegas.

Finding the swing that produced 16 home runs and 47 RBIs in 89 games last season has been difficult. Werth struck out four times only two days ago, appearing tentative.

Of greater concern to him is his arrhythmia tachycardia, or a rapid heartbeat. Doctors have told him his health is not in danger, and he believes cayenne helps stabilize the condition.

“During a baseball game, you are asked to go full throttle at any given moment,” he said. “Your heart is always on call. Cayenne puts me on all cylinders. It eases my mind.”

And if the results against the Brewers are any indication, it quite possibly improves his swing.