Manny Ramirez brings the buzz back to Dodger Stadium

In the eighth inning Sunday, there was applause when Manny Ramirez lofted a pitch down the right field line.

The cause for celebration?

Nothing more than a ball that drifted into foul territory, keeping the at-bat -- and the chance for another memorable Manny moment -- going.

Two pitches later, Ramirez obliged by legging out an infield single, his long hair flapping wildly against his shoulders as he raced down the first base line to collect his fourth hit of the day.

"We're just going out there and having fun," Ramirez said.

Nobody seems to be lapping it up more than Dodgers fans, who sold out the first two games the left fielder played at Dodger Stadium and purchased more than $125,000 worth of No. 99 T-shirts and jerseys since the slugger was acquired Thursday from the Boston Red Sox. When the Dodgers return home from the six-game trip that begins tonight in St. Louis, they'll find brown dreadlocks and blue ones for sale in the team stores.

Outfielder Juan Pierre, who has played at Dodger Stadium for nine years, the last two as a member of the home team, said he hasn't seen a hitter generate this kind of reaction here since Gary Sheffield during the early part of this decade.

"He has that kind of response when he comes to the plate," Pierre said of Ramirez, "and for all he's done in the game, rightfully so."

The future Hall of Famer is also being widely hailed in the clubhouse for his ability to protect the rest of a lineup that is suddenly playing power ball. The Dodgers have hit four homers and averaged 6.5 runs in their last two games, a more than twofold increase over the 2.9 runs they had averaged over their previous 10 games.

"It's unbelievable," catcher Russell Martin said. "We feel like we just won the lottery."

Luckiest are those who get to hit in front of Ramirez, the No. 4 hitter who is cleaning up with a .615 batting average, five runs batted in and a 1.154 slugging percentage in three games as a Dodger. Pierre, Matt Kemp and Russell Martin went a combined five for 14 Sunday and scored five runs during the Dodgers' 9-3 victory over Arizona.

"Pitchers are coming at me," said Kemp, the No. 2 hitter who had three hits, including a home run in the eighth inning. "I know they don't want to walk me because they have to get to Manny."