Lowe Is a One-Hitter Wonder

Pitchers tinker with this or that. Coaches suggest one thing or another.

Then something clicks and a difference is made.

Dodger right-hander Derek Lowe moved from the third base side of the rubber to the first base side before his last start. He pitched well but lost, and the fact that he toed the slim slab 20-some inches from where he had done so for a career was a mere foot note.

He stayed with the adjustment, though, and tossed a one-hitter against the Chicago Cubs in a 7-0 victory Wednesday at Wrigley Field, lifting the Dodgers into sole possession of second place in the National League West for the first time since June 13.

After Jerry Hairston led off the first inning with a slow roller to third for a single, Lowe retired 26 of the next 28 batters, walking two and benefiting from a double play.

It was Lowe’s first one-hitter -- he pitched a no-hitter in 2002 against Tampa Bay while with Boston -- and now it’s as if he discovered the secret to winning multiple Cy Young Awards.

Whose idea was shifting his feet? Why does it make batters miss? Will he stay with it?

The idea was hatched during a bullpen session Lowe had with pitching coach Jim Colborn, who made the opposite adjustment with Brad Penny, moving him from the first base side of the rubber to the third base side.

Lowe, a sinkerball specialist who throws across his body, was having trouble locating pitches on the outside part of the plate. Colborn theorized that the right-hander might command that part of the strike zone better by scooting over.

Conventional wisdom holds that a right-handed pitcher should throw from the third base side of the rubber because right-handed batters have difficulty picking up the ball.

“But maybe the action on Derek’s pitches trumps that,” Colborn said.

Lowe’s sinker certainly baffled the Cubs, regardless of which side of the plate they batted. He struck out seven and needed only one outstanding defensive play, a running catch into the ivy along the right-field wall by Jose Cruz Jr. on Todd Walker’s drive to lead off the eighth.

Lowe (9-13) said he had experimented with moving to the other side of the rubber in the past but abandoned it. After giving up 25 home runs in his first 27 starts after never having allowed more than 17 in a season, he was open to suggestion.

“It’s just a feel,” he said. “My command against lefties is better and now my sinker is running in against right-handers.”

Another factor is that the blister on his right thumb that bothered him for weeks has healed. He changed the grip on his sinker so the thumb no longer touches a seam.

Meanwhile, Cub left-hander Glendon Rusch lost his grip early. The Dodgers scored three runs in the second and four in the third against him.

The first rally was similar to the Cubs’ four-run outburst a day earlier in that the ball was not hit hard. Mike Edwards blooped a single down the right-field line, Cruz grounded a run-scoring single to left, Jason Repko barely cleared second baseman Walker’s glove with a soft liner and Jayson Werth hit a flare into right-center to drive in two runs.

In the third inning, Cruz tripled in two runs against reliever Michael Wuertz after Rusch (5-8) had surrendered a two-run homer to Olmedo Saenz.

As Lowe cruised along, Edwards reflected on Hairston’s hit. He had backed up a couple steps because there were two strikes and no threat of Hairston bunting. The ball died quickly in the grass and Edwards charged past the ball.

Manager Jim Tracy said there was no way a play could have been made.

“Even if he fields it cleanly and makes a strong throw, it’s a hit,” he said. “The way Hairston runs, there was no way.”

The victory gave the Dodgers their fourth straight series victory against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

More importantly, they begin September believing they are in a race.

“It’s almost all games in our division now,” Jason Phillips said. “Our pitching has been there all year. The way Derek threw was encouraging. He has five more starts. That could be fun.”