Beltre Still Rising

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

Aug. 9, 2002 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

If Adrian Beltre were to continue this torrid offensive pace for the rest of the season and somehow lead the Dodgers into the playoffs, utility player Tyler Houston could be the team’s most valuable player.

Though Beltre has downplayed the connection, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that his hot streak coincided with the Dodgers’ July 24 trade for Houston, the former Milwaukee Brewer third baseman who posed the first threat to Beltre’s job in his five seasons with the Dodgers.

Beltre responded to the deal with four hits and four runs batted in against San Francisco on July 26, and he hasn’t stopped hitting since, extending his streak with three hits, including a key two-run homer, and three runs to lead a 10-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 31,776 in Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.

The Dodgers’ second consecutive victory moved them back into the National League wild-card lead, a half-game ahead of San Francisco, and pulled them to within six games of Arizona in the West, the first time the Dodgers gained ground on the Diamondbacks since July 14.

Beltre’s homer in the fifth gave the Dodgers a 5-4 lead, and his leadoff infield single in the seventh sparked a two-run rally that pushed a 6-5 advantage to 8-5.

Since the Dodgers traded for Houston, a move they hoped would light a fire under Beltre as well as bolster their bench, Beltre is batting .434 (23 for 53) with five homers, two triples, three doubles and 17 RBIs in 13 games, lifting his average from .236 on July 24 to .261.

“I’ve seen this guy do things similar to this in 2000, and what I witnessed in the second half that year was that once he gets going, it’s difficult to shut him down,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “He’s driving the ball to left field and to right field.

“This is the guy we’ve talked about, the player we know he’s capable of being, a foundation type of player. We’ve been trying all season to get him to realize that. He’s a very focused player right now.”

Perhaps Houston was the motivation Beltre needed. Beltre has frustrated the Dodgers with his lack of discipline at the plate and occasional lackadaisical play in the field, but since Houston arrived, Beltre has had no problems.

“He should cough up some of his contract to me,” Houston joked, when asked if he thought he’d have this kind of effect on Beltre.

The Dodgers figured it was only a matter of time before Beltre found his stride.

“He’s going to be an offensive force for a long time,” said right fielder Shawn Green, whose two-run homer in the eighth, his 32nd of the season, provided some insurance. “It’s just a matter of him understanding what his strengths and weaknesses are. When he’s swinging the bat well, he’s the type of guy who can carry a team.”

It seems the only thing that can stop Beltre now is an injury, and the Dodgers got a scare when Beltre, who moved from the fifth to the third spot in the order Thursday night, pulled up after his seventh-inning single because of tight hamstrings.

Beltre remained in the game, scoring on Brian Jordan’s RBI single, but he was replaced at third by Dave Hansen to start the eighth.

“Rather than push the envelope with a guy who’s been one of the hottest hitters in the National League, we took him out,” Tracy said. “We did not want to take a chance of him pulling a hamstring. He should be ready to go [tonight].”

So should struggling catcher Paul Lo Duca, who was given Thursday night off, but his replacement, seldom-used catcher Chad Kreuter, provided some offense, with a double, two singles and a run. Kreuter doubled in the sixth and broke a 5-5 tie when he scored on Cesar Izturis’ bloop RBI single.

A well-rested Dodger bullpen rescued struggling starter Kazuhisa Ishii, as Paul Shuey escaped a runner-on-third, one-out jam in the seventh to preserve a one-run lead, Paul Quantrill threw a scoreless eighth, and Jesse Orosco a scoreless ninth. Kevin Beirne gave up a tying home run to Craig Wilson in the fifth, but he picked up the victory.

The Dodgers built a 3-0 lead in the first without the benefit of a hit, taking advantage of two Pittsburgh errors, two walks and sacrifice flies by Jordan and Eric Karros.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Yo, Adrian!

Adrian Beltre, rumored to be in danger of losing his starting job at one point, has been red hot since the All-Star break. A look:

*--* AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG SLG% Before 320 32 76 13 2 7 29 238 356 After 97 17 33 4 2 9 26 340 701 Totals 417 49 109 17 4 16 55 261 436

*--*