Dodgers Stay on the Hot Path

The Dodgers celebrated the month of July by shaking things up even as they won 21 of 28 games. Even with changes on the calendar and in the clubhouse, nothing is derailing their success.

Winning may appear to be contagious and second baseman Alex Cora made his contribution Wednesday night as his solo home run with two out in the seventh inning lifted the Dodgers to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in front of 34,792 at Dodger Stadium.

After a July that saw them jump into first place, the Dodgers won their third in a row in August to move 5 1/2 games ahead of San Diego in the National League West.

Cora, batting leadoff in place of sidelined shortstop Cesar Izturis, kept the good times going with three hits. It was his last one that did the most damage as he pulled an inside fastball from Pittsburgh starter Josh Fogg into the box seats in right field.

“I was just looking for a fastball,” he said. “In that inning, he started [Jason] Grabowski and [Brent] Mayne with breaking balls and changeups.

“I was going to try to stay away from that and get my fastball and put a good part of the bat on it. Luckily it went out.”

The home run made a winner of Jose Lima (10-3), who reached double digits in victories for the first time since winning 21 games for the Houston Astros five years ago. The flamboyant right-hander gave up a run and six hits over seven innings in another strong performance.

Since that breakthrough season in 1999, Lima has bounced from Detroit to the independent leagues before making a comeback with Kansas City last season.

“I never doubted myself,” Lima said. “As long as I get the opportunity to pitch and prove myself, I can win games. I’m having fun.”

Lima has pitched at least six innings in his last seven starts, going 4-0 with a 3.19 earned-run average. Pittsburgh got its run in the third on Jason Kendall’s bloop single to right field that scored Ty Wigginton.

“He doesn’t have the velocity he had in the past but he still knows how to pitch,” Pittsburgh Manager Lloyd McClendon said. “He kept the ball down and he uses his changeup well.”

Reliever Darren Dreifort retired the side in order in the eighth. He got a key defensive play from third baseman Adrian Beltre, who made a diving snag of Bobby Hill’s sharp grounder and threw out the second baseman to open the inning.

Closer Eric Gagne fared much better after giving up two ninth-inning runs to the Pirates and nearly blowing a three-run lead Tuesday night. Gagne struck out Rob Mackowiak and Craig Wilson in succession to record his 32nd save in 33 chances.

The Dodgers improved their record to a major-league best 24-11 in one-run games.

“If you get the lead late and you’re on the other side of the field and you have to be forced to score off the back end of our bullpen, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do,” Manager Jim Tracy said.

“Darren Dreifort will do more than an adequate job for us in the eighth inning. If Dreifort is throwing strikes, he’s no easier to hit off of than Guillermo Mota was.”

Until Cora’s home run, it had a been a night of frustration for the Dodgers against struggling Fogg. They had nine hits against the right-hander and put runners on base in the first five innings yet could only score once.

The Dodgers wasted a chance in the fifth. With one out, Cora led off with a single and subsequently kept the rally going on a strange play.

Steve Finley hit a fly ball down the left-field line that the Pirates’ Craig Wilson misjudged and let bounce behind him for a double. Wilson recovered to throw to third baseman Wigginton and Cora appeared to be caught as he rounded third base.

Cora headed back to the bag and got in safely around the diving tag of Wigginton. Fogg then intentionally walked Milton Bradley to load the bases.

Beltre, who came into the game batting .413 after the All-Star break, hit back to the mound and Fogg threw home to start an inning-ending double play.

The Dodgers then lost Finley for the night and today’s game as he felt a pull in his hamstring as he ran out his double. Tracy said Finley will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.

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One and Done

The Dodgers have the majors’ best record in one-run games. A look:

*--* TEAM REC. PCT. Dodgers 24-11 686 Minnesota 19-10 655 N.Y. Yankees 19-11 633 St. Louis 18-11 621 Philadelphia 19-12 613 San Diego 19-12 613

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