Dodgers Pitch, Hit Like Braves

Dodger right fielder Raul Mondesi knew the ball was gone as soon as it left his bat.

Mondesi dropped the bat and watched the ball sail into the left-field pavilion after hitting a two-run, first-inning home run. It was the spark the Dodgers needed and they went on to defeat the Atlanta Braves, 10-3, Saturday night, ending a season-high six-game losing streak before a paid crowd of 49,076 at Dodger Stadium.

“As down as it’s been here, we knew it was just a matter of time [until they ended the slump],” Dodger Manager Bill Russell said. “We’re all happy. We’re all doing the YMCA [dance].”

Mondesi had three hits in four at-bats, scored two runs and had two RBIs as the Dodgers had their best offensive output since scoring 14 runs on eight hits in a 14-5 victory at Pittsburgh on April 13.

Billy Ashley had two hits in three at-bats, including a two-out, three-run first-inning home run, and Eric Karros hit a three-run home run with two out in the seventh inning. It was the first time the Dodgers have hit three home runs in a game this season.

“Mondesi, Ashley and Karros have tremendous power and are capable of hitting the long ball as they did tonight,” Russell said. “The talent is there and it came out tonight.”

Catcher Mike Piazza had two hits in three at-bats with a double, two runs and an RBI.

Dodger third baseman Todd Zeile said the victory will bolster the Dodgers’ confidence.

“As poorly as the offense has been doing, we were seeing a light at the end of the tunnel because we were hitting some balls hard and not getting anything out of it.” Zeile said. “You’ve got to get to [Braves’ starter Tom] Glavine early and that’s what we were able to do tonight.”

The Dodgers, who had scored only three runs in their last two games, exploded for eight runs on 11 hits against former Cy Young Award winner Glavine to end their longest losing streak since they dropped 10 games in June 1992.

“We don’t usually get to a guy like that, but we were patient,” Russell said. “We made him throw a lot of pitches and when we got the pitch you saw what happened.”

Dodger starter Ramon Martinez (4-3), who gave up eight runs on 11 hits in five innings in a 14-0 loss at Atlanta last month, gave up three runs on three hits with eight strikeouts in his first complete game since Sept. 19 last season at San Diego.

“It’s a lot different when you have run support,” said Martinez, who gave up a two-out home run to Ryan Klesko in the fourth. “They were getting close and I was trying to not let them score any more runs. This was the most exciting game I pitched this season.”

Glavine (5-3), who had allowed only three home runs in his first nine starts, didn’t have good control.

“It’s not exactly how I care to start a game,” Glavine said of the Dodgers’ five-run first inning. “But I’ve done it before. From that point on I felt pretty good.”

The Dodgers chased Glavine with four runs on four hits in the seventh.

After Piazza drove in a run with a two-out single off Glavine, Karros drilled a two-out, three-run homer on the first pitch from reliever Paul Byrd.

Glavine didn’t look like the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history in the first inning, giving up the home runs to Mondesi and Ashley.

The Dodgers had a chance to break the game open after loading the bases with one out in the third inning after Glavine intentionally walked Zeile to load the bases, but Ashley struck out looking and Juan Castro struck out swinging.

But the Dodgers got to Glavine in the seventh.

Brave Manager Bobby Cox said Glavine looked good after his initial inning but that he didn’t get much support while the Braves were losing for the first time in eight games.

“Tom pitched a great game after the first inning,” Cox said. “We made the most of three runs. . . . Three runs on three hits, that’s pretty good.”