This Image Might Be Everything to Dodgers

PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers had a coming-out party of their own Wednesday night, deciding to make over their image on the baseball field.

They can handle the ridicule. They can ignore the skeptics. They can deal with the adversity.

The Dodgers, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-5, in front of 15,872 at Veterans Stadium, showed that if they are to be serious contenders for the National League pennant, they will have to play a different style of baseball.

The Dodgers, posing long enough as a plodding team more suited for the American League, decided that they will now aggressively run the bases, execute the hit-and-run, steal bases, bunt, sacrifice and do everything possible to change their ways.

“We’re going to surprise some people, we know,” said Dodger left fielder Todd Hollandsworth, “but this is the way we have to be. We decided that we’re going to be aggressive on the bases from now.

“Look, it wasn’t working the other way. We were stagnant. We were sitting around waiting around for the homer, and if didn’t do that, we had to get three or four hits in a row just to score bases.

“We’ve got guys who can run the bases, we’ve got guys who can put pressure on teams, and that’s what we’ve got to do.

“The way it was before, pitchers would give up hits and not even have to worry about us on the bases.

“It was ridiculous.”

The Dodgers (13-11) hardly will simulate Whitey Herzog’s speedy Kansas City Royal and St. Louis Cardinal teams of the late 1970s and early ‘80s, but indeed, times have changed under Manager Bill Russell.

The Dodgers have scored 13 runs, produced 26 hits and stolen six bases the last two games.

It’s hard to believe this is the same team that had stolen a major league-low six bases in their first 22 games, averaging 3.4 runs a game.

“We have to force the issue now, and be more aggressive,” said third baseman Todd Zeile, who drove in two runs, set up by two stolen bases. “When things aren’t going well for you, you just can’t sit around and wait for the three-run homer.”

While the Dodgers acknowledge that there surely will be rough days ahead, they know in their hearts this is the only way they can play winning baseball and be taken seriously in the National League.

How else can you explain after going 216 consecutive innings this season without producing three hits in a row, the Dodgers managed to do it twice in four innings?

How else can you explain the Dodgers’ 13-hit, seven-run onslaught was without the benefit of a home run?

“That’s what you like to see, some diversity,” Russell said. “If we continue to put guys in scoring position, we’re going to have a lot of guys to drive them in.”

The Dodgers showed the new look in the second inning. Raul Mondesi opened with a leadoff infield single, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. He immediately stole second. One out later, Zeile drove him home with a single to right. Rookie second baseman Wilton Guerrero followed with a double--the first of his three hits. And with two outs, Greg Gagne had a two-run single for a 3-0 lead.

The Phillies came back to tie the score against Hideo Nomo (3-2) in the fourth inning, but the Dodgers once again relied on their speed in the sixth. Hollandsworth had a one-out single to third, stole second, and Zeile drove him in for his fourth RBI in a span of six innings, after getting only six the entire season before that.

The Dodgers broke the game open in the ninth with a one-out walk by Nelson Liriano, consecutive singles by Brett Butler and Greg Gagne, and a two-run, ground-rule double by Mike Piazza. Eric Karros drove in another run for a 7-3 lead, and it was enough to hold off the Phillies.

“We still have things to work on,” said Piazza, who also threw out two Phillie baserunners, “but you can’t expect it to turn around over night. This is a start.

“What can you say, it’s the new look.”