Prince Comes Through in 10th for Dodgers, 8-7

After squandering a three-run lead, the Dodgers overcame a three-run deficit of their own to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 8-7, when Tom Prince drove in Greg Gagne in the 10th inning Friday night before 41,313 at Dodger Stadium.

Gagne, who is off to the best start of his career, got a one-out double for his third hit of the game into the right-field corner off reliever Bob Patterson, and went to third when Sammy Sosa bobbled the ball for an error.

With the Cubs using a virtual five-man infield with Sosa drawn in, Prince, who had entered the game as a pinch-runner for Mike Piazza in the ninth, drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly to deep right-center, giving the Dodgers their fourth victory in a row. Tom Candiotti, one of five Dodger pitchers, pitched the 10th and was credited with the win.

The Dodgers’ rally from a 7-4 deficit in the sixth sent the game into the 10th tied, 7-7, when Cub closer Mel Rojas issued a two-out, ninth-inning, bases-loaded walk to Wayne Kirby, who was batting .136.

Kirby, who had misplayed Sosa’s two-run, sixth-inning double, redeemed himself in the ninth.

“In that situation I was looking for something right down the middle,” Kirby said. “I knew he wasn’t going to throw his forkball in a situation like that, with the bases loaded.

“Over the last three or four games we’ve been playing good ball; we haven’t been giving up. That’s just the way we’re playing, we’re hungry and when you’re hungry some good things are going to happen.”

The Dodgers, who blew a three-run lead when the Cubs batted around and scored six runs off starter Ramon Martinez and reliever Darren Dreifort in the sixth, began the comeback when Mike Piazza belted a 1-2 pitch from reliever Kent Bottenfield into the bleachers in right-center with none out in the bottom of the seventh.

They had a chance to take the lead in the eighth inning, but Gagne took a called third strike with runners on first and second and two outs. Rojas couldn’t throw strikes in the ninth, walking Piazza and Eric Karros to open the inning.

But Rojas got Raul Mondesi, who doubled in two runs in the first inning, to hit a foul pop to third and induced Todd Hollandsworth to pop to short.

Todd Zeile fouled off several pitches to work the count to 3-2 before walking to load the bases.

Rojas then walked Kirby, who was hitless in his first four at bats, to tie the score. Martinez was working on three days’ rest because of Ismael Valdes’ abdominal injury.

“We were struggling and we weren’t scoring runs, but it seemed like everything turned around,” Martinez said of the Dodgers, who are 3-0 in extra-inning games. “Now we’re winning and everybody feels much better.”

Martinez (2-3) lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on nine hits as he lost his second consecutive game.

He got off to a shaky start, giving up a leadoff double to Brian McRae, who smacked a 1-1 pitch down the right-field line and scored on Mark Grace’s one-out sacrifice fly to left.

Leading, 4-1, Martinez gave up four runs on three hits and a walk in the sixth. After giving up a one-out single to Tyler Houston, Martinez walked former Dodger Hansen and Rey Sanchez singled to load the bases.

Pinch-hitter Dave Clark belted a three-run double to chase Martinez. Sanchez ran through third base coach Dan Radison’s stop sign.

The Cubs took the lead when Grace singled in a run off Dreifort, who gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

Sosa doubled in two runs more runs over the outstretched glove of center fielder Kirby, who tried to make a leaping catch.