Rockies 5, Dodgers 4 <br>September 15, 2000
<br><br>LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Todd Hollandsworth might not even
be with the Colorado Rockies if he hadn't squandered
a golden opportunity with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
<br><br>When Devon White went on the disabled list in early
May, Hollandsworth was the logical choice to replace
him as the Dodgers' center fielder and leadoff
hitter. The job was his to lose -- and he lost it.
<br><br>Hollandsworth started 55 games in the outfield and hit .234
with eight home runs and 24 RBIs before he was dealt
at the trade deadline for outfielder Tom Goodwin.
<br><br>Hollandsworth returned to Dodger Stadium for the first time in
an enemy uniform Thursday night. He singled in his
first two at-bats as Colorado beat Los Angeles 5-4.
<br><br>``I don't know why he struggled in the past, but I
think a change of scenery helps -- just to get a fresh
start. And I think it did him a lot of good,'' Rockies
first baseman Todd Helton said. <br><br>``He fits in
well here, because there are a lot of intense guys on
this team. I know he's had some injuries, but he's got
a lot of talent.'' <br><br>Hollandsworth, 27,
became the fifth consecutive Dodger to be named NL
rookie of the year in 1996, when he hit .291 with 12
homers and 59 RBIs. But this is the first season since
that he hasn't been on the disabled list.
<br><br>``The time eventually came when they wanted to go in a
different direction, but I have no regrets,'' Hollandsworth
said. ``I'm very appreciative of having been a part of
the Dodgers organization for such a long time. I
still have a lot of friends over there that I played
ball with when I was 17 years old.'' <br><br>Dodgers
manager Davey Johnson tried so hard to get Hollandsworth
playing time that he'd even use him at first base
occasionally. <br><br>``Holly was great with me. You wouldn't
find a harder worker on a ballclub,'' Johnson said.
``Every at-bat was very intense. I mean, he'd be here
every day at 1 o'clock in the batting cage, wearing the
baseballs out. He was always changing and trying things to
get better and better. And that's probably one of the
things that kept him from living up to his potential.''
<br><br>Hollandsworth, however, is happy with his new team. In 40 games
with the Rockies, he is hitting .297 with seven homers
and 16 RBIs. <br><br>``These guys kind of took me in
and made me feel welcome right away, so that made
things real easy for me,'' Hollandsworth said. ``If I
had to pick a place to go, I couldn't have come to a
better group of guys.'' <br><br>Brian Rose (4-2) won his
third straight decision, allowing three runs and six
hits in six innings, including a solo homer by Chris
Donnels in the second. <br><br>Hollandsworth singled and
scored on Ben Petrick's two-run double in the fourth.
Jeff Cirillo added an RBI single off Chan Ho Park
(15-10) to give Colorado a 3-1 lead.