Dodgers Come All Way Back

MONTREAL â€”  The Dodgers don’t really quite know why it happened, or how it happened, but by the time their 5-4, 11-inning victory over the Montreal Expos was complete Friday night, they suddenly felt different about themselves.

Maybe it was the inspiration provided from the corner locker in the far side of the clubhouse.

That was where Brett Butler’s uniform was hanging. Butler is expected to sit out the rest of the season while fighting cancer, but the Dodgers are ensuring that he will not be forgotten.

“He’s always going to be with us,� second baseman Delino DeShields said. “I think it’s good seeing his uniform each day. It’s like he’s right here in the clubhouse with us.�

Whatever the reason, the Dodgers certainly acted different.

“I haven’t seen the team that excited all year,� said Todd Worrell, who pitched a 1-2-3 11th inning for his 12th save. “I’m all for taking care of business, but when you play a well-played game, it’s good to see some enthusiasm. We showed some emotion, and I haven’t seen that in a while.�

This was a game in which they trailed, 4-0, after the first inning, had four baserunners thrown out at three bases, ran out of position players, and still won.

They didn’t know what was better, Raul Mondesi driving in the game-winner with a two-out single in the 11th, journeyman Tom Prince--starting in place of Mike Piazza--hitting a two-out, game-tying double in the eighth, or a bullpen that pitched eight shutout innings.

“It was one of the best relief jobs I’ve seen since I’ve been managing,� Tom Lasorda said. “They did a sensational job.�

Starter Pedro Astacio, who pitched only three innings, was down by four runs after center fielder F.P. Santangelo’s two-out, three-run triple in the first. The Expos didn’t score again.

They had had plenty of chances, coming to the plate nine times with runners in scoring position, but failed to connect. Joey Eischen, Mark Guthrie, Antonio Osuna and Worrell yielded only four hits.

The Expos didn’t put together a rally after the fifth inning until Cliff Floyd tripled with two outs in the 10th. Osuna, who pitched a career-high three innings for the victory, intentionally walked Santangelo, then got Dave Silvestri to fly out.

The Dodgers finally took advantage of tired Expo reliever Omar Daal in the 11th. Daal issued a one-out walk to Billy Ashley. Roger Cedeno then hit a ball that appeared headed into the gap in right, but right fielder Moises Alou made a shoestring catch.

Todd Hollandsworth, who was thrown out at third base in the seventh inning, then walked, bringing up Mondesi. Mondesi, who had only five hits all season with two outs and runners in scoring position, then produced his third hit and third RBI of the game in the same situation. Ashley scored easily from second, and the Dodgers had only their second victory of the season when trailing after six innings.

If nothing else, the Dodgers saved themselves the embarrassment of a miserable night on the basepaths. It became so frustrating at one point for third-base coach Joey Amalfitano that he plopped down on the turf and stared at the roof.

He watched DeShields get thrown out at second base in the second inning on a botched steal attempt in which he never even slid into second base.

In the fourth inning, Cedeno hit a two-out drive into the right-field corner, easily scoring Mike Blowers from second base, but right fielder Henry Rodriguez’s throw nailed Prince at the plate.

In the fifth inning with Eric Karros on second base, DeShields hit a two-out single to center. Amalfitano waved home Karros, and--yes, you guessed it--Karros was out at the plate.

Then, in the seventh, with runners on first and second, Mondesi hit a liner into the left-field corner. Cedeno easily scored from second, but when Hollandsworth saw Alou momentarily bobble the ball, he took off for third. He too was thrown out.

“I thought it was a full moon,� Amalfitano said.