Dodger Way to Play All Wrong

CINCINNATI — Now we know why Tom Lasorda left.

Managers with heart conditions shouldn’t be in charge of teams that can’t hit, can’t pitch and can’t catch.

Suddenly, the Dodgers fit into all three categories.

With Lasorda retired, the job of resuscitating this failing franchise falls to Bill Russell. Based on what he saw Friday night at Riverfront Stadium in front of 34,094, Russell knows it won’t be an easy job.

It wasn’t only that the Dodgers lost, 9-4, to the Cincinnati Reds to fall into third place in the NL West, 2 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres and a game behind the Colorado Rockies.

It was how they lost.

The team that led the league in earned-run average as late as Wednesday has surrendered 21 runs in two games, Friday’s loss preceded by a 12-2 defeat to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.

The team that was respectable in the field up until the All-Star break continued to break down defensively, committing three more errors. The Dodgers started play Friday 12th among the 14 National League teams in fielding percentage.

The team that was considered good enough offensively by many experts to win the division before the season started continued to struggle at bat. The Dodgers began Friday 12th in hitting as well.

A two-game losing can be almost insignificant in a 162-game season. But what is alarming the Dodgers is the fact that they seem to be losing momentum as the crucial part of the season approaches.

“There ain’t no excuses to be made,” second baseman Delino DeShields said. “We don’t want to dwell on it. We’ve just got to kick ourselves in the [butt] and start playing ball. It depends on how much we want it.”

Russell is punching all the buttons in trying to ignite his offense.

Friday, he moved outfielder Todd Hollandsworth to the leadoff spot in the lineup, giving the Dodgers their seventh leadoff hitter of the season.

Hollandsworth responded with a double and a two-run homer.

“We need someone to get on base in front of [Mike] Piazza and [Eric] Karros,” Russell said. “We haven’t really had anyone since [Brett] Butler.”

With third baseman Dave Hansen still in Los Angeles for the birth of his second child, Mike Busch has been getting all the playing time at third, and he hit a two-run homer in the second inning.

So much for the Dodger offense, which had five hits.

The usually reliable part of the lineup--Piazza, Karros and Raul Mondesi--went a combined 0 for 11.

Starting pitcher Ismael Valdes (11-6) has been reliable in recent outings. He took the mound at Riverfront Stadium having won four consecutive decisions, with a 2.55 ERA in his last seven outings.

Valdes didn’t last long Friday, giving up eight runs, six earned, in 4 1/3 innings.

After the second inning, Valdes was simply happy he could walk off the mound at all.

After Joe Oliver opened the inning with a single, pitcher Mark Portugal (8-8) dropped a sacrifice bunt. Valdes tried to pick the ball up, but lost the handle for an error.

Lenny Harris followed with a single that glanced off Valdes. After Hal Morris tripled in three runs and Barry Larkin brought Morris home with a sacrifice fly, Kevin Mitchell smashed another ball off Valdes. This time, fortunately, it caromed to shortstop Greg Gagne, who threw Mitchell out.

That was only the second out of the inning, but the shell-shocked Valdes, thinking it was the third out, started to walk off the mound.

Wishful thinking.

The Dodgers’ long night was only beginning.

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* GETTING CLOSER?

Indicating a possible labor breakthrough, negotiators for baseball’s owners and players met four times Friday. C6