No Mystery: Butler Does It to Giants : Dodgers: He goes five for five in a 9-0 victory, L.A.’s third in a row. Martinez gives up only five hits and improves to 3-1.
Finally, the boos that have rung in Brett Butler’s mind for the last 10 days have been silenced.
Finally, he has forgotten how the San Francisco Giants fans turned on him when he made his first appearance at Candlestick Park last week as a former hero-turned-Dodger.
Butler erased those memories Friday with five simple swings of the bat against those Giants. His five hits helped Ramon Martinez, who threw his second consecutive shutout, to a 9-0 victory before 43,675 at Dodger Stadium.
In becoming the first Dodger to go five for five since Pedro Guerrero did it in 1984, Butler said he has finally become an ex- Giant. He has eight hits in his last 10 at-bats against San Francisco after getting one hit in his first 11 at-bats in that series last week.
“I thought I could handle whatever the Giants fans did to me last week, but I really didn’t expect to be booed so bad, and I think it had affected me,” Butler said.
“There was a part of my heart that was with that team and their fans, and I just thought I would be treated better.
“I think I was preoccupied with it for a while. It was like it was back in Little League--I really wanted to feel like I belonged with the Dodgers. I think I tried too hard.”
Butler smiled. “That’s why tonight was so sweet,” he said. “It’s like, OK, the page has been turned.”
Butler, who had four singles and a double, equaled his personal best in hits while the Dodgers won a third consecutive game for the first time this season.
“I’ve done this just twice in 10 years . . . it was one of those nights when everything went right,” Butler said.
“To do it against the Giants, it adds a little extra spice.”
Martinez, meanwhile, gave up only five hits while improving to 3-1 and lowering his earned-run average to 2.17.
Martinez completed a one-two pitching punch for the second time in four starts this season. Each time, Martinez has won after a victory by Tim Belcher. The Giants got only one run on five hits in Belcher’s complete-game victory Friday.
“Really, I think I am pitching better than last year,” Martinez said. “Lately, when I want to throw a strike, I throw a strike.”
When Butler wanted to get a hit Friday, he got a hit, and scored three runs in the process.
Butler, batting leadoff as he has in all but one of the Dodgers’ 17 games this season, singled to start Dodger uprisings in the first and second innings. He doubled in the fourth, singled in the sixth, and singled in the eighth. Appropriately, he scored the Dodgers’ last run.
All of which might vex the Giants, who have yet to settle upon a leadoff-hitting replacement for Butler.
Robby Thompson began the season as Giants’ leadoff hitter, but he was replaced Friday by Mike Felder. They have combined for 13 hits in 67 at-bats in the leadoff spot for a .194 average.
Butler, who batted .283 or more in each of his three years as the Giants’ leadoff hitter, increased his average from .254 to .313.
Butler began the first inning against starter and loser Mike LaCoss with a line drive to center field for a single. After Juan Samuel struck out, Darryl Strawberry hit a bloop single to left field, then each runner took an extra base when Kevin Mitchell allowed the ball to bounce past him for an error.
LaCoss then walked both Eddie Murray and Kal Daniels, giving the Dodgers their first run.
It appeared LaCoss was also going to walk Lenny Harris, as he fell behind him 2-and-0. But Harris hit the next pitch into right-center field for a single that scored two more runs.
Mike Scioscia blooped a ball to left field that skipped past Mitchell’s glove for an RBI double, and Harris scored from third on a fly ball by Griffin.
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