Even a Little Support Means a Lot to Valdes

CINCINNATI — It was like hearing the doorbell, expecting an obnoxious salesman on your porch, only to see Ed McMahon standing outside with a TV crew and a $20-million sweepstakes check in his hand.

Dodger starter Ismael Valdes, wondering how something this remarkable could really be happening to him, sat on the bench during the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night, trying to figure out what do with himself.

Should he jump up and down and scream when the Dodgers scored two runs? Act calm as if he expected this to happen? Do cartwheels all the way to home plate?

Valdes simply took advantage of the opportunity at Riverfront Stadium and pitched what he called one of the finest games of his career.

Valdes has had more impressive performances and dominated much better competition than the Reds, who not only have the worst record in baseball at 11-27, but are off to their worst start since 1934 when they finished 52-99 and fired two managers.

But when you pitch your heart out all season, post one of the lowest earned-run averages in all of baseball, and still go 32 days between victories, Valdes can be pardoned for his giddiness.

“I’m not going to lie to you guys,” said Valdes (2-4 with a 2.12 ERA), who gave up three hits and one run in seven innings, “it’s been frustrating. It’s frustrating, you know, when you’re doing a good job and the team is not winning.

“Believe me, after 1 1/2 months without a win, this was special.”

Valdes was ready to call Dionne Warwick’s psychic hotline to get him out of this mess. He was eating different meals for each start. He took different routes to work. He changed his wardrobe.

He was ready to do everything but take rosary beads to the mound in an effort to get his teammates to score runs for him. The Dodgers had scored only eight runs while Valdes had been in games this year, spanning seven starts and 44 innings.

This is why he could hardly believe his luck when the Dodgers opened those floodgates in the second inning and scored on Todd Zeile’s run-scoring single. It was the first run the Dodgers had scored for Valdes since April 26--the night of the Dodgers’ clubhouse meeting and Valdes’ shouting confrontation with Eric Karros.

The Dodgers, perhaps spoiling Valdes, came back in the fourth and scored another run on Billy Ashley’s single to left that scored Raul Mondesi.

The Dodgers, who have won 11 of their last 15 games, got only two hits the rest of the game, but it didn’t matter. The way the Dodgers have scored for Valdes, he couldn’t have been more grateful.

Yet, it was as if Valdes became unnerved by this offensive explosion when he walked to the mound in the bottom of the fourth. Deion Sanders led off with a double to right. Curtis Goodwin bunted back to the mound to advance Sanders to third, but Valdes must have forgotten that Sanders spends his off-season playing cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. His throw to third was much too late to get Sanders, and Goodwin was safe at first.

One pitch later, Goodwin stole second, and the Reds had runners on second and third with no outs. Catcher Mike Piazza went out to the mound to settle down Valdes. He told him to pitch his game.

Valdes struck out Barry Larkin swinging at a curveball.

Valdes struck out Willie Greene looking at a curveball.

Valdes struck out Reggie Sanders swinging on a fastball.

It was still early, but Valdes was celebrating on the mound.

“I thought that was one of the best games I ever threw, especially in the fourth inning,” he said, “facing those guys. Hopefully, I’m back again on the road to victory.”

“Considering the way the year’s been going for him,” pitching coach Dave Wallace said, “and the way he got out of that one inning, he really showed some guts. At that point, that was the game.”

Said Piazza: “That was a big mental part for him to get over tonight. I’m not only talking about this game, but all season. He was just different tonight, very fired up and aggressive.”

The only anxious moment the rest of the game for Valdes simply was being in the clubhouse and listening to Todd Worrell close out the ninth. The Reds hit two fly balls to the wall, but Worrell hung on for his 12th save.

“It wasn’t easy,” Manager Bill Russell said, “but hey, we finally got him a win. Maybe this is the start of something.”

* Angels Win: Jason Dickson and four relievers shut down Orioles in 3-2 victory. C5