Apr 26, 2002 By Dave Stofcheck 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – In his 15-plus Major League seasons, southpaw Terry Mulholland has worn many hats. He has been the workhorse of starting rotations, been called on to close games, been used as a set-up man, and has answered the call from the bullpen when the situation called for a left-hander to face a batter or two. It’s his latest role, however, that has the Laurel Highlands’ graduate struggling.

Until Thursday, when he tossed a scoreless eighth inning with his Los Angeles Dodgers trailing the Pirates, 3-2, Mulholland has been asked to handle one of pitching’s toughest chores: long relief.

Mulholland got his first taste of the role in a 12-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on April 3, Los Angeles’ second game of the season. With starter Hideo Nomo struggling with his control and ineffective through the first three innings, Mulholland worked the fourth and fifth innings.

Two innings and 16 batters later, Mulholland had allowed eight runs on seven hits. In San Francisco’s six-run fourth inning, Mulholland surrendered home runs to Barry Bonds, Benito Santiago and pitcher Russ Ortiz.

Ten days later, the results were better, but not by much. In two and two-thirds innings against San Diego, Mulholland allowed four runs on five hits – including two more homers – in a 6-4 Dodgers’ loss.

“In long relief, the opportunities to pitch are not real frequent,” Mulholland said. “It’s a challenge to keep your stuff effective because you don’t have the same workload.”

Which may be even less than it was at the start of the season with the Dodgers’ starting rotation starting to come around. After being swept in a three-game series by the Giants to open the season, Los Angeles has won 13 of its last 19 games.

Much of the turnaround stems from the success of the starting pitching. Even with Los Angeles ace Kevin Brown missing his last two starts, the Dodgers own baseball’s third-best ERA (3.12).

Before allowing six runs through five innings against the Pirates Tuesday, 29-year-old rookie Kazuhisa Ishii (4-0) had a 1.53 ERA in three starts, and in his last 23 and 2/3 innings, left-hander Odalis Perez has been charged with only four earned runs in evening his record at 2-2 and lowering his ERA to 2.15. Meanwhile, Nomo (2-3) has allowed only four earned runs in 27 2/3 innings in his last four starts, a 1.67 ERA.

Even Brown’s replacement – Omar Daal – has posted impressive numbers. In two starts, Daal (3-0) has worked 12 and 1/3 innings and allowed only one earned run to lower his ERA to 1.31.

“It’s a Catch-22,” Mulholland said. “When the starters are throwing well, you’re not going to get a lot of opportunities to pitch. But ultimately, you want your starters to pitch well because that’s what is best for the team. I’d rather be on a winning team than worry about how much I pitch.”

In his last three appearances, Mulholland has been up and down. He worked a pair of scoreless innings against Colorado April 16, before being touched up for two home runs in an inning of work against San Diego last Sunday.

Mulholland faced four batters Thursday and allowed a Rob Mackowiak single, but needed only six pitches to get through the inning.

“It’s been a challenge, and it’s something I’ll have to work through,” Mulholland said. “Right now, I’m not overly concerned. I’ve been around for 15 years because I’ve been able to make adjustments and stay effective.

“I’ve seen younger guys in this role get anxious and put added pressure on themselves. It’s tough enough just to perform at this level as it is without added pressure. I know what I’m capable of and what I have to do. Right now, it’s just a matter of figuring out a way of making the most of my pitching opportunities.”

Mulholland, the second-oldest Dodger at 39 years old, has won a World Series game (1993 with Philadelphia), started an All-Star Game (1993) and fired a no-hitter (1990 with Philadelphia). He’s also made the transition to being used almost exclusively in a relief role last year.

Now? Mulholland just wants to keep doing what has made him a valuable commodity on eight different teams throughout his career.

“It’s still fun, even when you’re struggling,” Mulholland said. “I just show up and take it one day at a time. Through the course of your career, you’ll always have highs and lows. It’s how you handle the lows that make the difference in whether you can have a long, productive career.”