51s top River Cats, phenom Harden

Nick Christensen

Friday, April 25, 2003 | 10:52 a.m.

LV pitcher rejoins team

There was nothing unusual for 51s pitcher Scott Winchester to hear from his sister on Sunday. It was Easter and his 30th birthday.

But the news his sister had wasn't news he wanted to hear. His 63-year-old father, John, had had a heart attack while visiting Scott's sister in Milwaukee, and would need bypass surgery.

Winchester, who said his father was recovering, has struggled with a 7.65 earned run average and no victories in four starts. He got permission Tuesday to leave the team. He returned Thursday to prepare for tonight's 7:10 start against the Sacramento River Cats.

By Nick Christensen

In what was supposed to be a pitchers' duel, the 51s bats, with some help from mother nature, cooled the hype surrounding Sacramento River Cats phenom Rich Harden in an 8-2 victory Thursday night at Cashman Field.

Starter Wilson Alvarez improved to 2-0 with his second consecutive strong pitching performance. Alvarez allowed four hits and one earned run in five innings, and struck out seven. He was perfect in six innings in his first start last Friday at Portland.

Among the announced crowd of 2,439 were executives from the 51s' parent club. Representing the Dodgers were senior adviser of baseball operations Joe Amalfitano, minor-league field coordinator Terry Collins, minor-league infield coordinator and former Stars manager Jerry Royster, director of player development Bill Bavasi and Dodgers General Manager Dan Evans.

"We almost could have had a quorum for an organization meeting tonight," said Evans.

Whether the 51s stepped it up for Dodgers brass, the pitcher who Baseball America ranked as the Oakland A's top prospect, or just coincidentally, they had six hits and five runs in the first two innings.

The pitching and defense was just as good. Until Sacramento left fielder Billy McMillon's solo home run in the fifth inning -- the first of two he'd have Thursday -- the 51s had not allowed a run to score in 21 2/3 innings, dating to Tuesday's 14-inning affair against Tacoma.

The defense has not been lost on Evans.

"Our strength is on the mound. It's the focal point of our whole organization," he said. "It really gives you the best chance of winning a lot of games, if your pitching and your defense is there."

In 21 games this year, the 51s have allowed 68 runs, while scoring 169. Parent club Los Angeles has scored only 78 runs, en route to a disappointing 9-13 start. But Evans doesn't see a need to pull the trigger for a call-up anytime soon.

"I'm going to be very patient with our big-league club. We're just struggling as a club offensively. I think patience in this sport pays off too much, so to do something now out of frustration, it's a move that's emotional. It's not really carefully thought through," he said.

But with the parent club still pitching well, what does that mean for the 51s' hot hands?

"Unfortunately, there are aches and pains along the way, and opportunities are made," said Bavasi.