Alvarez Has Traits of a Self-Starter

The only thing Wilson Alvarez couldn’t win during his first season as a Dodger was the confidence of his manager to make him a permanent member of the starting rotation.

Now that Alvarez finally has a formal commitment from Jim Tracy, the veteran left-hander can go about more pressing business: dominating the rest of the National League.

Alvarez delivered another glittering performance Wednesday night in his second start of the season and first since being anointed a regular member of the rotation, pitching 7 2/3 sterling innings to lead the Dodgers to a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs in front of 43,233 at Dodger Stadium.

Alvarez extended his scoreless streak to 17 1/3 innings, and Alex Cora won an epic seventh-inning duel with Cub pitcher Matt Clement, fouling off 14 consecutive pitches in an 18-pitch at-bat before clubbing a two-run homer to right, as the Dodgers won a season-high sixth consecutive game.

Reliever Guillermo Mota, who had combined with Alvarez on a one-hit shutout Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, helped Alvarez escape a minor mess in the eighth when Mota entered to retire Sammy Sosa with a runner on first and two out.

Tracy acknowledged before the game that it made sense to commit to Alvarez (2-0), who allowed only two Cubs to reach second base and none after the third inning while combining with Mota on a five-hitter. Alvarez struck out a season-high eight and walked one while lowering his earned-run average to 1.15.

“He kept a good offense at bay,” Clement said of his counterpart. “He was the star of the game.”

Some in the Dodger clubhouse had contended that it made sense to keep Alvarez in the rotation after last season, when he won six consecutive decisions, in 10 starts, after joining the rotation in July. He had a scoreless streak of 25 innings and finished 6-2 with a 2.37 ERA.

But it took Alvarez’s seven-inning sparkler against Pittsburgh for Tracy to make it official.

Alvarez, who has issued only four walks in 31 1/3 innings this season, said he was surprised by the ease with which he has been able to locate his pitches.

“I’m throwing strikes and not walking that many people,” said Alvarez, who credited pitching coach Jim Colborn for his success. “I have to thank Colby. He’s the one who helped me with my mechanics.”

Alvarez received a little help Wednesday, including from Adrian Beltre, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games by legging out a run-scoring single in the third on a sore left ankle.

There even were words of encouragement from Jose Lima, who will remain in the bullpen after compiling a 7.62 earned-run average in three auditions as the fifth starter.

“I hope he does well and helps this team win a championship,” Lima said of Alvarez. “Now I’ll come out of the bullpen as a long reliever and do my job. No complaints.”

The Dodgers scored the only two runs they would need in the third thanks to some lackadaisical play by Cub fielders. Alvarez got things started with one out when he singled to left two pitches after fouling a ball off his right foot. Paul Lo Duca singled one out later on a slow roller up the third base line before Milton Bradley hit a comebacker to Clement.

Clement turned toward first baseman Derrek Lee, but his soft, rainbow throw was too late to get a hustling Bradley, allowing the Dodgers to load the bases.

Shawn Green followed with a grounder that took a bad hop off third baseman Aramis Ramirez and rolled toward shortstop Ramon Martinez, but Martinez’s throw to first was late and Alvarez scored to make it 1-0.

Beltre put the Dodgers ahead, 2-0, on his single to Ramirez that the third baseman couldn’t pluck out of his glove in time to make a throw.

“That whole situation is set up because Milton Bradley ran out a chopped comebacker,” Tracy said of the early outburst.

Cora brought the fans to their feet in the seventh when he started fouling off pitch after pitch from Clement, prompting the scoreboard operator to list the tally. Finally, on Clement’s 18th offering, Cora whacked his second homer of the season into the Chicago bullpen.

“For the fans, it was great,” Cora said. “For me, I felt the pressure.”

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Stepping Up

Wilson Alvarez has been outstanding as a starter for the Dodgers. A look at his numbers as a member of the rotation:

*--* Year GS IP H ER BB SO W-L ERA 2003 12 70 2/3 65 21 18 56 6-2 2.68 2004 2 14 2/3 6 0 1 13 2-0 0.00 Totals 14 85 1/3 71 21 19 69 8-2 2.21

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