Dodgers Fire Big Guns, 10-5

Where would the Dodgers be without Raul Mondesi and Mike Piazza?

Mondesi hit two home runs and drove in five runs, and Piazza hit a two-out, three-run home run in the eighth inning as the Dodgers defeated the Houston Astros, 10-5, Wednesday night before 52,873 at Dodger Stadium.

Mondesi, who leads the Dodgers in home runs (13) and RBIs (38), hit a two-out, three-run home run off starter Mike Hampton (2-5) in the first inning and a one out, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning off reliever Ramon Garcia.

It was the fourth time in Mondesi’s career that he’s hit two home runs and the first since he did it June 30, 1996 against the Colorado Rockies in Denver.

Mondesi, who had three hits in four at-bats, also singled off Hampton’s glove in the fifth inning.

Piazza, who had two hits in four at-bats with three RBIs and three runs, hit a three-run home run off reliever Mike Magnante and had a fifth-inning double.

Eric Karros hit a home run and drove in two runs as the Dodgers hit four home runs in a game for the first time this season.

“Tonight the big guns came through, and when they do that, we’re capable of scoring a lot of runs,” Dodger Manager Bill Russell said.

Karros has averaged 33 home runs and 108 RBIs the last two seasons but hasn’t been hitting like a cleanup hitter this season, getting only eight home runs and 27 RBIs in the Dodgers’ first 62 games.

“Tonight he swung a lot better, and hopefully he’s on his way to hitting the ball like we know he can and he knows he can,” said Russell, who demoted Karros to sixth in the batting order and moved Todd Zeile into the cleanup spot--the 22nd time in the last 24 games he changed the lineup.

Karros, who batted .192 in the first seven games of the homestand, shrugged off the move.

“I don’t care where I’m hitting,” Karros said. “I’ve got other things to worry about. I want to get back on track.”

Karros studied videotape of himself with hitting coach Reggie Smith before the game, and it must have helped. He hit a leadoff home run in the fourth inning and drove in the go-ahead run with a fly ball to right in the fifth inning.

Karros drilled a 3-and-2 pitch from Hampton into the left-field bleachers to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.

After Tony Eusebio singled in a run in the top of fifth to tie it at 4-4, Karros drove in Piazza, who had a leadoff double into the right-field corner.

“Todd [Zeile’s] been swinging the bat well and Eric is struggling,” said Russell, who has used 41 lineups. “You do it to turn things around rather than take [Karros’] bat out of the lineup. We’ve got to try something.”

Zeile, hitless in his first three at-bats with a walk and a strikeout, doubled in the eighth off Magnante to extend his hitting streak to six games.

“I was a little surprised,” said Zeile, who batted second for the last four games, hitting .294 with four RBIs. “I thought I’d be hitting second for a while.

“I’ve hit cleanup most of my career, so I’m comfortable there. There’s really not that much of a difference. The pressure is equal whether you’re batting second, third, fourth or fifth. You’re looking to drive in runs.”

Chan Ho Park, who began the game as the only Dodger starter with an earned-run average below 3.00, gave up four runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings as his ERA rose to 3.16.

Park, who has given up a team-high 12 home runs, gave up a leadoff home run to Craig Biggio in the third inning.

Park hurt himself by setting up the Astros’ first run with a wild pitch to advance Thomas Howard, who had drawn a one-out, first inning walk, to second. Jeff Bagwell bounced a double over the center-field fence to drive in Howard.

Park set up another run when his balk moved Sean Berry, who led off the fourth inning with a single, to second. Eusebio singled him in with one out.

Astro third baseman Bill Spiers drew a seventh-inning walk to extend his consecutive on-base streak to 13, one shy of the National League record set by the Dodgers’ Pedro Guerrero in 1985. Todd Worrell ended the streak when he struck out Spiers on a called strike leading off the ninth.