BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Lasorda Faces More Long Trips
Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda, who was selected by Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox as a National League coach for Tuesday’s All-Star game, returned with the team to Los Angeles Sunday night to speak at Don Drysdale’s funeral today. Lasorda will then fly back to Baltimore for the game and return to Los Angeles in time for the Dodgers’ 11-game home stand, which begins Thursday. It will be the third service Lasorda will speak at this year. During spring training, Lasorda spoke at the memorial service for Cleveland Indian pitchers Tim Crews, a former Dodger, and Steve Olin. Last Wednesday, he spoke at the funeral of Roy Campanella. . . . Former Dodger and New York Met Eddie Murray traveled on the Dodger charter to attend the funeral.
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Orel Hershiser says that the memory of Drysdale remains an inspiration. Still, Hershiser says, he misses him a lot.
“It’s still a shock, because you run into different things every day where he is supposed to be there--down here (in the dugout) in the ninth inning, waiting for the postgame interview; hanging around the clubhouse before the game, on the plane, on the bus,” Hershiser said.
“I’m the veteran on this club, but he was my veteran to go to. And I lost my guy to go to.”
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Pitcher Tom Candiotti had another good outing Sunday night, but had to leave a 1-1 game for a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. For Candiotti, who gave up five hits and one earned run in five innings, it was his seventh consecutive no-decision. He has a 1.30 earned-run average in his last seven starts.
“I have never pitched better than this in my entire career,” said Candiotti, who has a 3-5 record and a 3.03 ERA. “There have been a lot of starts that I could have won, maybe all of them, for seven or eight games in a row. One thing that was nice is that the team won a lot of those games, so there’s a big satisfaction. But personally, it gets frustrating when you are pitching your heart out and not getting supported. But you just keep doing your best and hope things will turn around.”
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