Dodgers Spinning Their Wheels

It’s the time of the year when teams in contention wheel and deal.

Dodger executive vice-president Fred Claire spun the wheel Tuesday and came up with a deal that he hopes will fortify his club as it heads into the stretch run, obtaining center fielder Otis Nixon from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor league catcher Bobby Cripps.

But a couple of hours later at Dodger Stadium, Claire and the rest of the Dodgers were reminded that fate can have as much effect on a pennant race as design.

Chicago Cub infielder Jose Hernandez began the night on the bench with Shawon Dunston at shortstop.

But seven innings later, it was Hernandez who was facing Dodger right-hander Hideo Nomo when Dunston was forced to leave early because of a jammed right shoulder.

Hernandez responded by jamming a Nomo pitch over the center-field fence to provide the winning margin as the Cubs beat the Dodgers, 4-2, Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium in front of a crowd of 50,731.

The loss, which dropped Nomo to 11-9, was especially painful because the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants had already won earlier in the day. The Dodger loss dropped them to 2 1/2 games behind San Francisco.

The winning pitcher was another trade acquisition, right-hander Mark Clark, who was part of a six-player deal over the weekend between Chicago and the New York Mets. Clark (9-7) went six innings, giving up two runs and nine hits.

Terry Adams got the save, his ninth.

“We had opportunities,” said Dodger Manager Bill Russell of his team, which stranded eight runners. “We got enough hits, we just didn’t score enough runs. Nomo pitched well enough to win.”

Part of the reason that Brett Butler is no longer in center for the Dodgers is the loss of strength in his throwing arm because of a shoulder injury.

But on the day the Dodgers got Nixon, Butler served notice he can still be a factor in the Dodger outfield.

After Lance Johnson and Doug Glanville opened the game with singles, Mark Grace hit a medium fly to left. Johnson, testing Butler’s arm, attempted to score from third. Butler, passing the test, threw Johnson out on a one-bounce throw.

The Dodgers’ starting center fielder Tuesday, Wayne Kirby, didn’t do as well on his test.

With Grace aboard on a single in the fourth inning, Sammy Sosa hit a deep fly that eluded the grasp of a leaping Kirby, the ball bouncing to the wall for a triple and Chicago’s first run.

Nomo himself evened the score in the fifth when he came up with the bases loaded and lined a single to left to drive home Todd Zeile. Greg Gagne attempted to put the Dodgers ahead by also scoring, but, thanks to a strong throw from Glanville in left, Gagne found the ball awaiting him at the plate, firmly tucked in the hands of catcher Scott Servais.

Nomo’s downfall came in the seventh inning when the Cubs broke through for three runs.

With one out, Dave Hansen got an infield single and up came Hernandez. On a 1-and-1 pitch, he belted the ball over the center-field wall 400 feet away for his fifth home run and a 3-1 lead.

Servais followed with a double into left-center. After Rey Sanchez walked, Nomo’s final chance to stay in the game disappeared along with Zeile’s throw on a bunt attempt by Clark.

Zeile scooped up the bunt and threw it well over the glove of Wilton Guerrero, who was covering at first. That allowed Servais to score and ended Nomo’s evening.

The Dodgers made it closer in the seventh, Roger Cedeno singling home Gagne. But, with two men aboard and two outs, Mike Piazza hit a grounder to Ryne Sandberg at second.

Eric Anthony, who was designated for assignment to make room for Nixon, got aboard with two out in the ninth, but Butler hit a soft liner to short.

Nixon is due to arrive today. He should help, but a little luck, like the Cubs had Tuesday night, would help even more.

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* NEW DODGER

L.A., trying to fill in a need for speed, acquires outfielder Otis Nixon from the Toronto Blue Jays. C5