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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dodgers' hitters take it harder than Kevin
Brown when they don't produce enough runs for him.
Eric Karros hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning as the
Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 Friday night for their third
straight win.
|  | | Kevin Brown matched a career high with 12 strikeouts Friday but took a no-decision in the Dodgers' 2-1 victory over Milwaukee. |
But Karros' clutch hit came too late to help Brown, who got his
eighth no-decision despite tying a career high with 12 strikeouts.
"We all know that if you give him one or two runs, we pretty
much win the ballgame," Gary Sheffield said. "But you never want
to get comfortable with one run. Next time, hopefully we can get
him four runs so he can cruise."
Mark Grudzielanek greeted reliever Juan Acevedo (1-4) with a
leadoff single in the eighth and advanced on a groundout before
Shawn Green was intentionally walked. Karros followed with a single
that went into center field, scoring Grudzielanek.
Mike Fetters (4-1) relieved with two outs in the eighth and
watched catcher Todd Hundley throw out Marquis Grissom at second on
his first pitch, then finished for the win.
"Kevin pitched a great game. He had his way with them and
pretty much shut them down," Fetters said. "Thank God I did my
job, because we got a `W' out of it. The worst thing that could
have come out of it was if we lost, after the way Kevin pitched."
Brown was working on a four-hitter and his 18th career shutout
until the Brewers tied the score in the eighth on Raul Casanova's
double and Grissom's single.
"I was just trying to pitch out of jams and I did that until
that 3-2 pitch right down the middle of the plate," Brown said.
"I'd like to have made one better pitch, but it didn't happen. All
that matters is giving the team a chance to win, and I did that. To
be able to pull it out like that makes it a good win."
Brown, who felt some discomfort in his side after grounding out
in the seventh, made 116 pitches and was taken out after Grissom's
hit.
"It was unfortunate that he gave up the hit that tied it, but I
wasn't going to let him lose the ballgame," manager Davey Johnson
said. "Our bats were a little bit cold and we couldn't give him a
little more support. We won it, but it was a shame we didn't get
the win for him after that effort."
Adrian Beltre, hitting .377 since the All-Star break, opened the
scoring in the second inning by hitting an 0-2 pitch off Paul
Rigdon's for his 11th homer. He also doubled in the fourth, but was
stranded when Tom Goodwin flied to center with the bases loaded.
"Beltre seems to be really determined and focused and staying
within himself," Johnson said. "He was overswinging most of the
year, but with two strikes on him, he'll shorten his swing and put
the ball in play. He wasn't doing that for a couple of months, but
now he's doing itand getting a lot of big hits for us."
Rigdon allowed five hits in seven innings, matching the longest
outing of his career. On most nights, it would have been enough to
win. But not against Brown, whose 2.43 ERA is third-best in the
majors behind Randy Johnson (2.23) and Pedro Martinez (1.42).
"There was no extra stress, because I wasn't pitching against
Kevin Brown. I'm pitching against eight of his teammates," Rigdon
said. "It's my job to pitch my game, get the other guys out and
not worry about who's throwing on the other side."
The game marked the return of longtime Dodgers favorite Davey
Lopes, who came to Dodger Stadium for the first time as a major
league manager. Lopes spent 10 seasons with the Dodgers, winning
consecutive NL stolen base titles and playing second base for an
infield that was intact longer than any other in major league
history.
He helped the Dodgers win four pennants and won his only World
Series ring as a player in 1981, his final season with the
Dodgers.
Game notes
Flags at Dodger Stadium flew at half staff and a moment of
silence was observed for longtime club executive Bill Schweppe, who
died Monday at age 86. Schweppe spent 41 years with the
organization, including 20 seasons as vice president of minor
league operations. During that period, the organization developed
four consecutive Rookies of the Year -- Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Howe,
Fernando Valenzuela and Steve Sax. ... The Dodgers were shut out in
three of Brown's four losses this season. ... Sheffield, tied with
Barry Bonds for the NL home run lead at 34, has gone homerless in
32 at-bats since his solo shot against Rolando Arrojo on July 24 at
Coors Field. It's Sheffield's longest home run drought of the
season.
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