http://dodgers.scout.com/2/651309.html 'Babe' Kuo Pitches, Hits in L.A. Win By Tot Holmes Publisher Posted Jun 13, 2007 Babe Ruth got his start this way, hitting so well the Yankees couldn't keep him out of the regular lineup. Kuo isn't quite there yet, he trails the Bambino by 713 homers, but he did it all Tuesday night, allowing the Mets one run and five hits over seven innings and followed home runs by Betemit and Kemp with a 412-foot drive of his own become the first Taiwanese-born Major Leaguer to hit a homer. Along with all that good news, add that the Yankees beat Arizona and Tampa Bay mauled San Diego, moving the three clubs back into lockstep toward the N.L. West Division title. Kuo flipped his bat into the air in celebration of the home run, violating one of the unwritten baseball laws that state, "Thou must not celebrate an accomplishment during a game, thus embarrassing the opposition." But one might think that even the Mets, from rough-and-tumble New York, might just overlook this gaffe because of it's rarity. "I didn't mean to do that," Kuo said apologetically about the hot-dogging, "I hit it, I know I hit it hard." It was an unlikely trio of Dodgers that belted consecutive home runs off of Mets’ starter John Maine in the second inning. Wilson Betemit (408 ft.), Matt Kemp (447 ft.) and Hong-Chih Kuo (412 ft.) all drilled no-doubt-about it blasts on consecutive pitches and became the first Dodgers to hit three straight since Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew, Russell Martin and Marlon Anderson hit four last September 18. Kemp shot was the first homer to reach the Loge Level since Olmedo Saenz did do on July 27, 2005. Kemp finished the night going 2-for-3 with two RBI and is now hitting .417 (10-for-24) in 10 big league games this season. Not to say he has arrived, but it's been a long, long road for the Taiwanese lefthander since he struck out seven of the first 10 professional hitters he faced, blowing his elbow out on the final strikeout. That was early in 2000 and he pitched seven games in 2001 and 2002, then missed all of 2003 with a second Tommy John operation. With the win over New York, he has as many major league wins as T.J. operations. Seems a bit of a celebration of that and the surprising home run grant him a celebratory show of emotions. The entire club might be excused if they celebrated a bit, with Kuo seemingly answering the want ad for a fifth starter in such an emphatic manner. The sparkling, seven-inning effort came with Kuo working entirely out of the stretch. "I went back to it, and I pitched a little better," Kuo said after the game. "After my surgery, they sent me to the minors on a rehab, and I only pitched out of the stretch for the next two or three years before I ever went back to the windup. So it got to the point where I was just more comfortable pitching that way, and I have been ever since." The win comes after a solid, six-inning effort last Thursday at San Diego in which Kuo out-pitched Padres' ace Jake Peavy only to see the "W" disappear when the bullpen blew a four-run lead in the ninth. He allowed consecutive singles to David Wright and Carlos Delgado to begin the second, and with a stolen base mixed in it gave the Mets a short-lived, 1-0 lead. But Paul Lo Duca bounced into a double play, and in the bottom of the inning the Dodgers responded with home runs on three consecutive pitches for a 3-1 lead. Manager Willie Randolph was pretty stuffy about Kou's mini-celebration, indicating that even the nicest guy sometimes succumbs to major-league stuffiness. It must be a money thing that the rest of us just don't understand Kuo worked out of a first-and-second, one-out jam in the fourth inning by getting Shawn Green and Carlos Beltran to fly to left, and he cruised from there, retiring 14 of the last 16 batters. Jonathan Broxton overwhelmed the Mets in the eighth and Takashi Saito retired the heart of the Mets order in the ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances. The Dodgers had 10 hits, including two by Juan Pierre and a line single by Nomar Garciaparra, back in the lineup after sitting out two games because of a 5-for-30 slump (.167). Kemp and Betemit also had two-hits. Los Angeles is considering holding back Derek Lowe from starting in Toronto next week and having him pitch in Tampa Bay instead. Lowe is 5-8 with a 5.31 ERA at Rogers Centre/Skydome, but 9-3 with a 3.05 ERA at Tropicana Field. Little said he still wants to split up left-handers Randy Wolf and Hong-Chih Kuo, but did not say how or when. The Dodgers have a chance at a sweep when the series wraps up tonight with Brad Penny (7-1, 2.26 ERA) opposing Jorge Sosa (6-1, 2.64). --

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