Romano lends hand in victory

Friday, April 11, 2003 | 9:43 a.m.

Jason Romano's flight from Los Angeles landed at McCarran International Airport Wednesday afternoon, and he said he was pleased to be in Las Vegas.

"I was excited to play again, to be in the starting lineup and know I'd get five at-bats," Romano said during batting practice Thursday. "I haven't played in a while, so it was just exciting to get in there."

It showed against Edmonton on Wednesday night at Cashman Field, where he singled twice and attempted to swipe three bases, stealing two.

Romano led off the fourth Thursday with a single, then scored the 51s' first run. In the seventh, he sacrificed Bubba Crosby and Joe Thurston to third and second, respectively, setting the table for a five-run inning in a 6-1 victory.

In his brief stint as a pinch-hitter with the Dodgers, Romano went 0-for-2 with a walk.

"I like it here," he said of Las Vegas. "The 51s have a great group of guys. Everybody has fun here. It's a lot more relaxed than it is up in the big leagues. People have fun. This is a good team."

Romano, 23, hit .204 in 29 games with the Texas Rangers last season before getting traded to Colorado, where he hit .324 in 18 games for the Rockies. The Dodgers acquired him in a trade in January.

The game is in his blood, as cousin Scott spent eight seasons in the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay organizations, and younger brother Jimmie was drafted by Texas in 1998 and spent three seasons catching in the Rangers' system.

Romano was further prepped for the diamond at Tampa (Fla.) Hillsborough High, which produced Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield and Carl Everett.

The alumni games were particularly interesting, especially when Gooden pitched.

"Yeah, they'd beat us," Romano said. "With Dwight on the mound, we had no chance."

Known primarily as an infielder in his previous six years in professional baseball, Romano played right field for the 51s on Wednesday and made a splendid sliding catch at the foul line two batters into the game.

He played left field Thursday night and nabbed a curving liner on the second pitch of the game, off Peter Bergeron's bat. In six years in the minors, he has stolen 144 bases in 205 attempts.

"My game is hitting line drives for base hits, stealing bases and playing good defense," Romano said. "That's what I do."

Recent stress on the Los Angeles pitching staff required the parent club to recall a pitcher from Las Vegas, and Troy Brohawn was summoned Tuesday. To make room for him, Romano was sent to the 51s.

"I was the odd man out," Romano said.

The Dodgers are down to their final option with Romano in 2003, which means they can call him up and send him down as many times as they desire but must make an ultimate decision after the season.

Alvarez was 10-7 with three saves and a 4.70 earned-run average in Las Vegas last season. He was 0-1 with the Dodgers and 0-2 in Mexico City.