Dodger Road Show Remains a Big Hit With 10-4 Victory

MONTREAL —  The Dodgers are tempering their enthusiasm because the season has only started and the Montreal Expos are stumbling out of the chute.

That aside, they have reason to smile after their second straight 10-4 victory over the Expos--producing another big show offensively.

The Dodgers pounded 17 hits Tuesday night in matching last season’s single-game high, ruining Montreal starter Hideki Irabu’s regular-season debut before a disappointed crowd of 12,143 at Olympic Stadium.

They broke the game open with a seven-run third inning, getting seven consecutive hits and sending 12 batters to the plate while chasing Irabu. Gary Sheffield had two hits, including his first home run--a two-run shot to left--as the Dodgers took an 8-1 lead.

Sheffield also had a two-run triple in the opener.

As opening acts go, the Dodgers have a good one.

“We’re seeing what we saw the last couple of weeks of spring training, [the offense is] really coming together,” said Manager Davey Johnson, whose team had 17 hits last April 9 against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.

“We’ve got some protection in the lineup now, we’ve got some guys who are comfortable in some roles, we’ve got some guys who can give others guys some rest. You can really see it coming together, no doubt about it. Sheff told me he didn’t work out all winter not to have a good year, and he’s as dangerous as it gets right now.”

The Dodgers extended their advantage to 10-1 in the fifth in support of starter Chan Ho Park.

The emotional right-hander struggled in the exhibition season, going 0-3 with a 7.43 earned-run average. Johnson has encouraged Park to “just relax and pitch,” and a nine-run advantage helps.

Still, Park labored through six innings, giving up six hits and four runs (three earned). However, he didn’t have to do much because of the offense and bullpen.

Relievers Onan Masaoka, Mike Fetters and Gregg Olson each pitched a scoreless inning to nail down the victory.

“I felt really comfortable because of the runs,” said Park, who threw only 53 strikes among 91 pitches--too many for six innings. “It was really easy to throw because of the runs.”

The middle of the batting order provided the punch in Monday’s 10-4 victory, and the entire group contributed to Tuesday’s knockout.

Leadoff batter Devon White set the tone, homering to start the game against Irabu, who failed to record an out in the third.

The blast into the right-field seats marked the 32nd game-opening homer for White, putting him fourth on the all-time list behind Rickey Henderson (73) and Bobby Bonds and Paul Molitor (33).

“This is very important both offensively and for the pitching staff,” the center fielder said of the Dodgers’ production.

“Nothing is going to be easy, so we have to keep pounding people to keep them down. We had 20 runs and 26 hits the last two games, so that’s good.”

Catcher Chad Kreuter and shortstop Kevin Elster sparked the bottom of the order.

Kreuter, playing for injured starter Todd Hundley, made the most of his opportunity with three hits and an RBI, and also guided Park through some difficult moments on the mound.

Elster, another off-season addition, had two hits, including a two-run double in the third, and walked twice.

“We’ve got some players who can do some things offensively, no question about it,” said first baseman Eric Karros, one for four with an RBI. “Really, Shawn Green and I didn’t do anything tonight, and Hundley didn’t play, and we threw out 10 runs. That’s definitely good to see.”

New cleanup batter Green record his first Dodger hit with a third-inning single, his only hit in five at-bats. Hundley, who had three hits and homered in Monday’s victory, was sidelined because of a knee injury.

“You want to have the flexibility to count on people when maybe you have to make some changes,” Johnson said.

“Nothing against the people we had last year, they did a good job, but we’re deeper now.”