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  Thursday, Aug. 31 2:05pm ET
Burnitz returning to All-Star form
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Jeromy Burnitz, who has struggled all season, at last is looking like the offensive threat who made the NL All-Star team a year ago.

Burnitz and Luis Lopez each drove in three runs, leading the Milwaukee Brewers over the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 Thursday. Geoff Jenkins homered, doubled, singled and scored three runs, while Lopez homered and Burnitz doubled twice and singled.

Burnitz, who hit .270 last season with 33 home runs, raised his average to .225. Despite the dip in his average, Burnitz has 24 homers with a team-high 78 RBIs.

"I'm a firm believer that just because you have an off-year, that doesn't mean your career is over," Brewers manager Davey Lopes said. "Obviously, that's not the case. He's a young guy. When you have the kind of year he's having, he's still putting up some pretty good numbers, home run-wise and RBIs. It's just that his average is not where it should be."

Burnitz said the acquisition of first baseman Richie Sexson, along with the return to health of Jenkins and shortstop Mark Loretta, has made a big difference.

"I'm doing the same things I've always done," Burnitz said. "I'm working really hard, taking a lot of B.P. (batting practice) before the games and just trying to get it going. I just haven't been quite able to do it this year, but I don't know any other way to go about it."

Paul Rigdon (2-2) allowed two runs on five hits in six innings, striking out four and walking one. "He just kept us off-balance and did a nice job," said Dave Hansen, who had three of the Dodgers' eight hits. "He got a lot of big outs."

Carlos Perez (5-7) gave up six runs and seven hits in two-plus innings. Burnitz and Jenkins, the two left-handers in the Brewers' lineup, went 4-for-4 against Perez with a home run and two doubles. The Dodgers lost for the third time in 11 games.

Milwaukee chased Perez in a four-run third inning. Mark Loretta drew one-out walk, Jenkins doubled and Sexson and Burnitz hit RBI singles. After Charlie Hayes reached on an infield single to load the bases, Matt Herges relieved and struck out Henry Blanco. Lopez followed with a two-run single to increase the lead to 6-1.

"We didn't get much offense, but when you fall behind like that, it's hard to crank it up," Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said.

The Dodgers got a run in the fourth on Alex Cora's sacrifice fly. Jenkins' single and a two-out double by Burnitz made it 7-2 in the bottom half.

Lopez homered in the eighth. The Brewers erased a 1-0 deficit with two runs with two outs in the first. Jenkins tied it with his 25th homer, Sexson walked and Burnitz hit an RBI double. Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the first on doubles by Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros.

Game notes
Rigdon got his first major league hit with an infield single in the second. ... Loretta singled in the eighth, ending his 0-for-23 slump. ... Rigdon won consecutive decisions for the first time in his career, sandwiched around two no-decisions. ... Brewers second baseman Ron Belliard was held out again to rest an ailing back. ... In the first inning of his 21 starts, Perez has allowed 22 runs. ... the victory gave the Brewers their first winning month of the season at 14-13. ... The Dodgers, who finished the roadtrip 5-3, play 19 of their next 25 games at home.
 


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