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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dave Hansen was again the man in a pinch for
the Los Angeles Dodgers.
|  | | Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park heads to first base after laying down a sacrifice bunt during the fourth inning Thursday. |
Hansen hit a tiebreaking homer while batting for
pitcher Chan Ho Park in the seventh inning Thursday night. It gave
Los Angeles a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros.
Hansen's 82 career pinch-hits with the Dodgers -- including
a club-record 18 in 1993 -- are second only to coach Manny Mota on
the team's career list.
Hansen drove a 1-2 breaking pitch from Chris Holt (3-7) just
inside the right-field pole with one out for his third homer -- all
as a pinch-hitter.
"That's part of preparation," Hansen said. "I'm not a home
run hitter, but I've got to take a chance when the score dictates.
I took a chance earlier in the at-bat, but he made a great pitch.
So I was surprised when I got the curveball, but that's what
happens when you get the bat under the ball."
Nine of Hansen's 20 career homers have come as a substitute
swinger. His home run ended a season-worst string of 36 consecutive
innings without one by the Dodgers, who are on a club-record pace
with 88 in 57 games.
"Dave has a great deal of patience at the plate, he's selective
and he's an aggressive hitter," Mota said. "He knows what he can
do and he has the ability. And he knows that, when they sent him up
with the game on the line, he's got to swing the bat."
Eric Karros, who had two RBIs, made it 4-2 with an RBI
ground-rule double that knocked out Holt with none out in the
eighth. Shawn Green scored moments later on Joe Slusarski's wild
pitch.
Park (7-4) allowed two runs, five hits and three walks over
seven innings. The right-hander struck out six en route to his
third straight victory.
"He's really coming into his own out there and pitching with a
lot of confidence," Dodgers catcher Chad Kreuter said. "When the
other team gets guys in scoring position, he really bears down and
gets guys out."
Alan Mills started the eighth and hit his first batter, Craig
Biggio, who rolled the ball back to the mound while Mills walked
toward home plate to get a new one from umpire Chris Guccione.
Mitch Meluskey followed with a single before Mills struck out
Jeff Bagwell. Terry Adams came in and struck out Ken Caminiti and
retired Moises Alou on a close call at first base after a nice play
behind second by shortstop Alex Cora.
Alou was immediately ejected by umpire Jerry Meals after arguing
the call, then kicked his batting helmet halfway to second base.
Mike Fetters got three outs for his first NL save, and first
since 1998 with Oakland.
The loss dropped the three-time defending NL Central champs'
record to 21-38, worst in the majors.
"We haven't figured out why," Holt said. "This is by far a
better team than we're putting out there. You can ask a lot of
these guys in here, and they don't know what the heck's going on,
either. We're busting our butts out there and giving it everything
we've got."
After falling behind in the second inning on Alou's seventh
homer, the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the third on two-out RBI
singles by Green and Karros, whose hit ended an 0-for-11 career
drought against Holt.
But Biggio led off the sixth with his second homer of the
season, and first in 187 at-bats since April 10 at Enron Field
against Pat Hentgen of St. Louis.
Holt, trying to win consecutive starts for the first time this
season, was charged with five runs and nine hits in seven-plus
innings.
The game was a makeup of an April 17 rainout, only the second
game postponed by inclement weather at Dodger Stadium in 12 years,
and just the 17th in the ballpark's 39-year history.
Game notes
It looked like a scene out of "Kojak." Prior to batting
practice, Mills was on his knees in front of Adams' adjacent
locker, meticulously forming an outline of a dead body with masking
tape on the carpet of the Dodgers' clubhouse. Apparently, Mills
wanted to send a not-so-subtle message to Adams about encroaching
into his space. When Kevin Brown walked by and asked "Who died?,"
Mills pointed up at the nameplate above Adams' locker. ... The
crowd of 23,648 was the smallest at Dodger Stadium since last Sept.
1, when 23,616 watched Milwaukee beat the Dodgers 5-4. ... Alou's
homer came on the first pitch he saw against the Dodgers this
season. The injury-prone outfielder missed the other five meetings
because of an injured right calf that cost him 16 games.
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RECAPS
NY Mets 8
Baltimore 7
Boston 3
Cleveland 0
Los Angeles 5
Houston 2
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