Dodgers Get Lift Against Cardinals

ST. LOUIS — Just when you give the Dodgers up for lost, they put together a couple of games like they have the last few nights at Busch Stadium, causing one to ask: “Where has this team been most of the season?”

“It’s frustrating,” said Jody Reed, who showed little frustration after the Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-4, on Saturday night before a crowd of 50,474.

“The talent is here and we have showed we are capable of playing with the best in this league, but the biggest ingredient that we are missing is consistency. Until we develop that, it’s a roller coaster ride.”

Behind a superb pitching performance by Pedro Astacio (10-7), it was the Cardinals who were frustrated, managing only five hits--one against Astacio--and remaining nine games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.

“He has a good changeup and throws hard, obviously, since we only got one hit off him,” said Manager Joe Torre about Astacio. “I was happy to get him out of the game.”

For once, the Dodgers had every facet of the game working, including their offense in a six-run seventh inning that blew the game open, putting the Dodgers ahead, 8-1.

“We are on a roll,” is how Orel Hershiser described the team’s three-game winning streak.

The only hit the Cardinals managed in six innings against Astacio was a double in the third by Bernard Gilkey, which cut the Dodgers’ lead to 2-1.

Astacio could have pitched longer, but with runners on first and second in the seventh inning, Manager Tom Lasorda sent up pinch-hitter Mike Sharperson to face left-handed starter Tom Urbani (0-2). When Torre countered with right-handed reliever Omar Olivares, Lasorda sent up left-handed Dave Hansen.

Lasorda’s moves worked.

Hansen hit a hard liner that went off the glove of first baseman Gregg Jefferies and into right field, scoring Tim Wallach and Mitch Webster and putting the Dodgers ahead, 4-1. It was Hansen’s 15th pinch-hit of the season, tying him for third on the Los Angeles Dodger single season list.

It was the Dodgers’ fifth victory in their last seven games. This after losing seven in a row and mounting frustration among the players.

“It’s very hard and still tough being a pinch-hitter, but I feel a lot more prepared,” Hansen said. “I just have to stay loose and focused, because you don’t know when it will happen. It’s like being on call the whole game.”

But Hansen’s double was only one of five hits that inning. Among them, was a one-run double by Mitch Webster and a two-run triple by Jose Offerman, giving him eight runs batted in during his last 10 games. Eric Karros’ liner to left was his third hit. The Dodgers sent nine batters to the plate before reliever Todd Burns managed to get the final two outs.

“I think for the younger players the maturity of going through a major league season will help,” said Reed, who doubled, singled and scored two runs Saturday. “Learning to deal with slumps and the dog days and the long schedule and the adversities that come up will help.

“A team has to have solid pitching and defense, because if they have those two things elements day in and day out, it gives you a chance to win. I think we have had solid pitching all year, but the defense hasn’t been there.

“We have showed moments of brilliance where we have played a number of games without errors and then we make them and hurt ourselves and we have done it too many times. You can’t do that in that many ballgames because it’s too costly and it can send you into a tailspin losing that way.”

At 19 1/2 games behind the Giants, Reed believes the team needs to bear down and take advantage of the next 40 games to help carry them to next year.

“I have a lot of hope for next season,” Reed said. “There are some issues that need to be addressed, and I am sure they will be. But this club has a good setup of veterans and younger players and I feel good about it.

“Whether we are in the race or not, we need to play hard like this the rest of the season to improve and mature and to find out who’s made of what. And in the next six weeks, we are going to see that.”