Dodger Offense Is Back on Track in 14-5 Victory

Jayson Werth heard all about the Boston Red Sox growing up, all about Fenway Park and the Green Monster and baseball’s most devoted fans. His grandfather, Dick Schofield -- father of the longtime Angel shortstop -- played just two of his 19 major league seasons in Boston, but he loved talking about the Sox.

“You’d sit around and hear stories about Red Sox this and Red Sox that,” Werth said. “This has got to be my favorite place to come to, with all the heritage. Boston is a great place to play, with great fans if you’re on the Red Sox.”

If you’re not, well, that’s another matter. But the Dodgers pounded the Red Sox so relentlessly Saturday that the usually creative hecklers got bored. Werth, Juan Encarnacion and Olmedo Saenz homered in a 14-5 victory, during which Werth said fans shouted nothing original at him, with half-hearted serenades of “Werth-less.”

Said Werth: “They were getting beat. They didn’t have much to say.”

The Dodgers set season highs for runs in an inning -- seven, in the fifth inning -- and runs in a game. Encarnacion scored four runs, Saenz drove in four and Cesar Izturis had four hits, raising his batting average to .318, second among National League shortstops.

In losing three of the first four games of this trip, the Dodgers had scored one run, no runs and one run.

“I hope something like this can become a little bit of an infectious thing for us offensively,” Manager Jim Tracy said.

The Dodgers closed the game with Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne. The Red Sox closed with utilityman David McCarty, who replaced Manny Ramirez in left field in the seventh inning, then pitched the ninth.

McCarty, who would like the Red Sox to use him as a left-handed reliever and bench reserve a la Brooks Kieschnick of the Milwaukee Brewers, also pitched in a game on April 9.

He retired Izturis, Werth and Milton Bradley in order, with a fastball clocked from 86 to 88 mph. Werth said he saw a curve and changeup, Izturis said he saw a slider, and Tracy said he saw a legitimate pitcher.

“To throw 87 or 88 is not like Mark Grace throwing an inning in Arizona,” Tracy said.

Boston Manager Terry Francona was not entirely persuaded.

“By the time he pitched, you couldn’t see,” Francona said. “He was throwing 87 and it probably looked like 97. I know those guys were throwing 97, and it looked almost unhittable.”

Gagne struck out the side in the ninth. Gagne combined with Darren Dreifort and Guillermo Mota to strike out 10 of the final 12 hitters.

That the Dodgers needed three relievers was not particularly thrilling, given that they led, 12-2, after the top of the fifth.

But Jeff Weaver gave up three runs and four hits in the bottom of the inning, including a home run to Ramirez. So Tracy yanked him after 98 pitches, although cameras captured Weaver and Tracy arguing about the decision.

Weaver still got the victory. And, after the game, he acknowledged that he buried himself by following the Dodgers’ breakout inning with his poor inning, by fiddling on the corners of the strike zone with a 10-run lead.

“I hope it happens 10 or 15 more times,” he said. “Then I’ll be able to handle it a little better.”

Maybe a 10-run lead might happen some other time for Weaver, but probably not for Hideo Nomo tonight because Pedro Martinez starts for the Red Sox.