Dodgers Backup Keys Comeback

It’s a wonder mothballs didn’t fall from Sandy Alomar Jr.’s uniform as he walked to the plate in the ninth inning.

The balding backup hadn’t batted since June 2. He’s as much a coach as a catcher, mentoring rookie Russell Martin, who hasn’t needed many breathers.

Martin, in fact, was standing at second base, having just driven in Olmedo Saenz with a double, when Alomar stepped in as a pinch-hitter.

Colorado Rockies closer Brian Fuentes jumped ahead of Alomar with two quick strikes. The next pitch was a few inches outside, and Alomar banged it a few inches inside the first base line, bringing home Martin and giving the Dodgers a 6-5 victory at Coors Field that put them in sole possession of first place in the National League West.

The Dodgers’ early offense came from rookie Matt Kemp, who hit home runs in the first and fourth innings to give him six in June. But after the Rockies rallied against starter Derek Lowe and Jonathan Broxton and led, 5-4, it took consecutive hits by Saenz, Martin and Alomar to win.

“When you hardly ever play, every pitch looks faster than it is,” Alomar said. “Usually it takes me until my third at-bat to feel comfortable. You just look for the baseball up there.”

He’s up there to hit, that’s for sure. Alomar is batting a team-high .367 in 48 at-bats and has not walked all season. His game-winning hit followed doubles by Saenz and Martin against Fuentes, a left-hander who had converted nine saves in a row and 30 of his last 31.

The comeback came after Todd Helton had put the Rockies ahead, 5-4, with a two-run home run against Broxton in the seventh. With a runner on second, Manager Grady Little could have ordered Broxton to walk Helton or could have brought in a left-handed reliever.

But Helton has struggled since coming off the disabled list because of a stomach ailment, and the next batter, Matt Holliday, is hitting .339.

“I didn’t want anybody going against him right there but Broxton,” Little said.

The situation cried out for a left-hander, but Joe Beimel gave up four runs Saturday and rookie Hong-Chih Kuo normally doesn’t pitch on consecutive days.

Little doesn’t know what it’s like to look to the bullpen and see situational left-hander Kelly Wunsch warming up. Wunsch injured his shoulder during spring training and has been pitching for less than two weeks at triple-A Las Vegas. Helton is hitless against Wunsch, who could be back with the Dodgers soon.

Danys Baez (4-3) got the win by pitching a scoreless eighth, and Takashi Saito earned his fourth save by pitching the ninth, getting Helton to ground out to second base with a runner on first to end the game.

Saito “has a plus slider on both sides of the plate,” Martin said. “He fools left-handers into taking the backdoor slider and it buckles right-handers.”

Kemp buckled himself during his first at-bat, fouling a pitch off the top of his left foot and conferring with trainer Stan Johnston before resuming his at-bat. He blasted the next pitch 442 feet for a two-run home run.

“The best thing that could have happened to us was for him to miss his wake-up call,” Rockies Manager Clint Hurdle said.

Said Kemp: “Fouling that ball off my foot was a wake-up call.”

Kemp’s mother, grandmother and several aunts and uncles drove from Oklahoma for the series.

“That made it sweet,” he said. “For them to see this, it was special.”

Although Alomar has been playing in the big leagues since the 21-year-old Kemp was 3, the game was memorable for him too. The father of five will turn 40 on Father’s Day on Sunday and he knows his playing career is winding down.

“Everybody wants to play, but I can’t be here complaining,” he said. “I knew when I signed I was the backup. The way we’re playing, I’m enjoying the ride.”

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Good month

On May 12, the Dodgers were in fourth place in the NL West. On June 12, they are in first place. A look at the records in the West since May 12:

*--* TEAM W-L PCT DODGERS 18-10 643 San Francisco 15-13 536 Arizona 15-14 517 San Diego 13-15 464 Colorado 10-17 370

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