Maldonado’s Homer Is All That Fernando Needs, 1-0

Now it can be told: Fernando Valenzuela originated his Stay in School program not only because he is a champion of education, but because he wanted the impressionable youth of L.A. to know there are less stressful ways of making a living than pitching for the Dodgers. Like being an air traffic controller, for instance, even if the money isn’t as good.

When Valenzuela pitches, the margin of error is no greater than it is for the folks in the control tower at LAX: Anything less than perfect is grounds for a disaster, although in Valenzuela’s case, no one gets hurt but his record.

Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, Valenzuela pitched a five-hit shutout against the San Francisco Giants, but was kept in suspense about the outcome until the eighth inning, when pinch-hitter Candy Maldonado homered off Giants reliever Mark Davis to give the Dodgers a 1-0 win before a sellout of 49,861.

Valenzuela, who lost his first start, 2-1, on two unearned runs in Houston, insists that it doesn’t bother him that the Dodgers are showing no signs of deviating from last season’s pattern, in which they averaged 3.12 runs a game for him, fourth lowest total in the league.

“Yes, you have seen I haven’t gotten all the runs I would like to have, but I haven’t been thinking about that,” Valenzuela said. “I’m just trying to pitch the best I can, and I try to pitch a shutout when I can.”

Asked if he thought he were capable of throwing 20 shutouts this season, which might be what it takes to have a winning record this season after last year’s 12-17 mark, Valenzuela grimaced and began scratching his head furiously.

“I hope to have a better record than last year,” he said. “I’m going to try to improve my record, and help my club.”

Like Valenzuela, Giant reliever Mark Davis was a 17-game loser in 1984, but that had less to do with nonsupport than the fact he gave up 25 home runs in 174 innings, the highest average in the league last season.

When Maldonado hit a 1-0 fastball into the lower deck in left to lead off the eighth, he was only duplicating a similar feat last season, when he homered off the left-handed Davis in the 10th inning at Candlestick Park to beat the Giants.

In that game, Maldonado had come in as a defensive replacement. In this one, he was batting for Ken Landreaux to start the eighth. The inning before, Manager Tom Lasorda had elected Valenzuela to bat for himself with Dave Anderson on second, even after Giants Manager Jim Davenport switched from starter Bill Laskey, a right-hander, to Davis.

“That was no decision at all,” Lasorda said. “Fernando was going to stay out there 15 innings, or at least until he told me he had to come out.”

Maldonado, who plays almost exclusively against left-handers, was hitless in six trips until he connected off Davis.

Asked if he thought Valenzuela owed him a dinner at least, Maldonado smiled.

“Not really,” he said. “I was lucky that I hit a home run and at the same time Fernando got the victory. But if he wants to . . . “

Of the Giants’ five hits, only one, a third-inning double by Dan Gladden, was for extra bases.

“I feel the same way that Pete (Guerrero) did about Krukow yesterday,” said Jeff Leonard, who went hitless in four trips against Valenzuela. “That may be the last time he does that against us.

“He didn’t throw me one ball inside all day.”

Laskey, who departed after a yield of just three hits in 6 innings, has had this happen to him before. Last April, he lost, 1-0, to Valenzuela in Candlestick Park.

“A typical Laskey-Fernando game,” he said.

The Giants have now scored just eight runs in their first four games. The 3-4-5-6 hitters in their lineup are a combined 5 for 58, and David Green, the first baseman they obtained from St. Louis in the Jack Clark trade, is hitless in his first 12 at-bats.

Now that’s a lineup Valenzuela could appreciate.

Dodger Notes

Pitcher Bobby Castillo, due to come off the disabled list Friday, threw 10 minutes of batting practice and said he was ready to pitch. “I felt great. I could start tonight if I wanted to,” Castillo said. “I threw the screwball, curve, and fastball and had good zip.” Castillo figures to be a reliever, but with Bob Welch’s status uncertain, he could also be used as a starter when he comes off the disabled list. “Long relief, short relief, starter--if they need me to, I’ll water the infield before games,” Castillo said. “I’ll do anything but windows.” And why not windows? “I’d break ‘em.” . . . Welch is a doubtful starter against Houston on Tuesday, his next scheduled start. Manager Tom Lasorda said he didn’t know who he would use; Tom Brennan is the logical candidate. . . . Lasorda on the status of sore-ankled Steve Sax: “Looks like he’s about ready.” His plans for Sax when he is ready: “I don’t know yet.” . . . A weekend visitor was Mike Marshall’s high school coach, Fred Van Iten, who coached Marshall in both baseball and golf in Buffalo Grove, Ill. “Mike flew me out here and paid for everything,” Van Iten said. “I consider him a friend, but how many guys would do that for their high school coach?” Van Iten, who once was a catcher in the Cardinals’ organization, called Marshall the best athlete ever to come out of the Chicago area, and said he could have played golf professionally had he chosen to. In high school, Marshall used to compete against Gary Hallberg, who was four strokes off the lead after three rounds in the Masters. Marshall said Hallberg was clearly superior, but Van Iten begged to differ. “Hallberg played year round, Mike only played in the fall and still was close to a scratch golfer,” Van Iten said. . . . Sports Illustrated, which selected a dream team “made up of the very best people baseball has to offer,” included Fernando Valenzuela and Bob Bailor on its squad, Valenzulea as left-handed starter and Bailor as a reserve. Bailor is pictured in the magazine holding a fishing line loaded with baseball gloves. “They took a ton of pictures,” Bailor said. “I thought it was for Field and Stream.” . . . Giant reserve catcher Doug (Eyechart) Gwosdz presented Sid Bream with the ball Bream hit for his first big-league home run on Friday, having retrieved it from a fan in the right-field pavilion. “I traded one of our balls for it,” said Gwosdz, who played against Bream in Triple-A. “I thought Sid might want it.” . . . Latest pitcher to undergo the “Tommy John” arm surgery as performed by Dr. Frank Jobe: Gordon Hershiser, younger brother of Orel. Gordon is a pitcher at the University of Alabama.