In a Season of Misses, Grudzielanek Has Been a Hit

There’s no denying that this has been a season to forget for the Dodgers.

After being touted as a pennant contender in spring training, they will be lucky to finish within throwing distance of a .500 record after losing to the Montreal Expos, 10-7, Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

But as the team rolls into the final weeks of the season with an overloaded “Bash the Dodgers� bandwagon close behind, shortstop Mark Grudzielanek has a different point of view.

He knows first-hand what it’s like to play on a team with no true hope for the future. He used to play for the Expos.

“Our expectation in Montreal was to just compete,� said Grudzielanek, who started out in the Expo farm system and played in four seasons with the team before being traded to the Dodgers last year.

“We were just trying to play hard and make it difficult for people to beat us. It was tough to go out there at times, but as a kid you just want to play. And, most of [the Expos] are kids. That’s why teams contending for the playoffs never want to play Montreal because they know [the Expos] are kids and you don’t know what to expect with teams like that. They play so hard all of the time.�

Grudzielanek, 29, has been one of the few bright spots for the Dodgers this season. He has been one of the league’s most consistent hitters and his .324 batting average is tops among Dodger regulars.

Since being reinstated from the disabled list because of a broken right hand July 6, Grudzielanek has hit in 52 of 62 games with 15 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 28 runs batted in. Over the last month, he has really been on a tear, with hitting in 19 of his last 22 games. He left Wednesday’s game after being hit on the hand by a pitch in the sixth inning.

“With a couple of weeks to go, you just want to finish strong,� said Grudzielanek, whose batting average tops all National League shortstops. “My hitting well is a result of a combination of things. Trusting your hands, being relaxed, seeing the ball. . . . It really comes down to just believing in yourself and your hands.�

Grudzielanek, who holds the Montreal record for most doubles in a season with 54 in 1997, is happy to be a Dodger and playing in Los Angeles.

“Personally, it’s been a good year, but unfortunately, we haven’t played that great as a team,� said Grudzielanek, who had the Dodgers’ lone hit in a 3-0 loss against Montreal’s Javier Vazquez Tuesday.

“I had my goals this season and I’ve [reached them] in a lot of categories. . . . I especially wanted to work on my defense, and I think I’ve done that.�

Last season, Grudzielanek committed a league-high 33 errors. This season, he has committed only 11.

Grudzielanek is trying to become the first Dodger shortstop to hit .300 (minimum 100 at-bats) since Maury Wills in 1963.

“Yes, it’s been a disappointing season for our club, but the thing I like, is that the [the Dodgers] will make the necessary changes to win and it will happen very soon,� Grudzielanek said. “It will happen within a year and not like it was in Montreal where every year, they would tell me we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that. Year after year, that’s what I heard and then, four years later, I’m in the same boat. It won’t be like that here. The Dodgers are committed to winning. Just look at the history of the franchise. They want to win and they’ve shown that. A few alterations here and a few changes and we’ll be where we need to be.�