Dodgers Feel Better, Still Fail to Win

ST. LOUIS —  The swagger is gone. No one’s talking about running away with the National League West, let alone making reservations for the World Series.

Yet when the Dodgers packed their bags and headed home Sunday after their 6-5 defeat against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, they felt better about themselves than they had in weeks.

Sure, they still are in third place, 4 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres. But that’s where they were when they started this three-city, 10-day trip.

Sure, they have an 18-20 record, with more losses on the road (15) than any team in baseball besides the Detroit Tigers. But go back to last year’s division championship team, and they were also 18-20 after 38 games.

And sure, they remain in an abysmal hitting slump. But their pitching is the best outside Atlanta, preventing them from losing by more than three runs in only four games since April 5.

“I’m seeing things I haven’t seen from guys all year,” second baseman Delino DeShields said. “You’re seeing a commitment now, guys making adjustments. I think that that comes from Buggsy [Brett Butler]. He left us with an attitude, not only for the rest of this year, but for the rest of our careers.”

The Dodgers, who vowed a new attitude since a players-only meeting Friday, insist that their ninth inning Sunday provides proof that it exists. They trailed, 6-3. Dennis Eckersley, a likely Hall of Famer, was on the mound for the Cardinals.

And the Dodgers still nearly pulled it out.

Pinch-hitter Carlos Hernandez led off with a single. Roger Cedeno followed with another single. Raul Mondesi hit a sinking liner into center, but Ray Lankford made a diving catch for the first out. Mike Piazza, who hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, singled to right field. Hernandez scored and Cedeno advanced to third. Eric Karros hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Cedeno.

All of a sudden, the Cardinals’ lead was cut to 6-5, and the paid crowd of 38,549 was getting fidgety. The rally finally ended when DeShields swung at the first pitch and flied out to Lankford.

It was strange to see the Dodgers lose because of their pitching. The Dodgers’ five runs were the most they have scored in a loss this season. They had been 10-0 in games in which they scored at least five runs.

Starter Hideo Nomo (5-3) continued to struggle on the road. Nomo yielded nine hits and four earned runs in five innings, and if not for three sensational defensive plays behind him, it could have been worse. Nomo is 1-3 with a 7.08 earned-run average on the road this season, and 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA at Dodger Stadium. In his career, he’s 12-2 at Dodger Stadium and 5-5 on the road.

Nomo is anxious to solve his control problems. He struck out six batters and walked two, but one of the walks came with the bases loaded, forcing in a run. “I’m not frustrated,” Nomo said. “That happens. But still I’m concerned that my control is bad.”

Nomo has failed to strike out more than six batters in all but his 17-strikeout performance against the Florida Marlins, but the Dodgers say he is the least of their concerns. They can even forgive reliever Jim Bruske, who walked Cardinal reliever Rick Honeycutt in the eighth inning, which led to a run. It was Honeycutt’s first National League plate appearance since 1987 when he was with the Dodgers.

It’s the offense that continues to sputter. They have three everyday players who are not hitting their playing weight, first baseman Eric Karros is hitless in a career-high 27 at-bats, and four different third basemen have combined for one hit in the last 17 at-bats.

“You look at everything we’ve gone through,” Piazza said, “and we’re two games under .500 and still haven’t put anything together yet. The potential is there. It’s just that you can only say that for so long. Some teams never play up to their potential.”