Valdes Gets Message After a Long Road

MIAMI —  Dodger pitching coach Glenn Gregson was busier than usual this week, working on the psyche of Ismael Valdes.

He had several emotional conversations with the enigmatic right-hander, whose performance has burdened his team. The topics weren’t pleasant for Valdes, but they were things he needed to hear.

Valdes showed he listened by pitching eight strong innings on a hot and windy Sunday afternoon in the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the Florida Marlins.

He rebounded from his worst start of the season in his previous outing, and he gave the team’s weary bullpen a break.

The Dodgers supported Valdes with outstanding defense, and Jose Vizcaino provided the decisive hit with a two-run, fourth-inning double before a crowd of 19,486 at Pro Player Stadium. Closer Scott Radinsky worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his seventh save.

The victory enabled the Dodgers to move back to .500 at 18-18. They salvaged some pride by splitting the four-game series with the Marlins, and finished 5-6 in the 11-game trip.

Their star Sunday was an unlikely candidate.

“We needed a big performance from him today, and he really stepped up,” Gregson said of Valdes. “I told him that I wouldn’t settle for anything less than eight innings, and he went out there and gave it to us.

“With that heat, and some of the hitters he had to face, you have got to give him a lot of credit. That was what we needed to see.”

Valdes (3-4) gave up five hits--including back-to-back solo home runs to Gary Sheffield and Derrek Lee in the sixth. In 94-degree weather, he threw 113 pitches, 66 of which were strikes, and struck out four with three walks. Valdes won for the first time in six road starts, after going 0-4 with a 6.00 earned-run average.

“Goose [Gregson] gave me a lot of confidence,” Valdes said. “He told me not to worry about things, that things are always going to happen.

“He told me just to be myself and pitch the way I know I can.”

His strong outing occurred after Valdes had disappointed himself and the Dodgers in an 8-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.

In only 4 1/3 innings, he gave up seven hits, four runs and walked five. And he infuriated his teammates by his reluctance to challenge hitters. Gregson was stern with Valdes in between starts.

“We talked about the way he was doing things on the mound, about his mental toughness and about turning it up a notch out there,” he said. “In my opinion, this kid has got the chance to be one of the best pitchers in the National League.

“It’s OK if I believe it, but he has to believe it. He has to realize that and take that with him to the mound, and I think he did today.”

However, Valdes had some shaky moments.

With two out and the bases loaded in the second, Gold Glove right fielder Raul Mondesi made a running, backhanded catch on the warning track in right-center on a ball hit by Marlin rookie starter Brian Meadows (3-4).

“That wind was blowing like crazy,” said Mondesi, who also hit a solo home run--his fifth homer--in the Dodgers’ three-run fourth.

“I was almost playing behind second because it was the pitcher [hitting], and I had to run hard. But I thought I had a good chance to catch it.”

With one out in the sixth, Sheffield and Lee hit their sixth and seventh homers, respectively. Lee’s upper-deck shot to left traveled an estimated 447 feet, but Valdes remained calm.

“Before I would say, ‘Oh, my God, here we go again,’ ” he said. “But today, I told myself to let’s go get the next guy.”

After Craig Counsell lined out to right, Charles Johnson doubled to right-center. Valdes then struck out Dave Berg, who represented the tying run.

“In my opinion, we had to leave him out there to work out his problems,” Gregson said. “He did that, and I think he took a real positive step in the right direction.”

At least for a day.