There Is No ‘D’ in Dodgers : Erratic Fielding Again Proves Costly in Loss to Phillies

Tom Lasorda isn’t one to pick up the New Yorker. Generally, the first page of the Dodger manager’s usual reading material lists the antipasto.

But Roger Angell’s most recent essay on baseball in that magazine opens with a bit of wisdom that sheds some light on the plight of Lasorda and his fourth-place team.

It comes from Bill Rigney, the ex-Angel manager and current Oakland A’s scout, who wasn’t among the crowd of 24,189 at Veterans Stadium when the Dodgers lost their fourth straight game, 7-5, to the Phillies Saturday night, but could have had the Dodgers in mind.

“Sometimes you should remind yourself that of all the things we have in this game--hits and runs and stolen bases and home runs--the thing we have the most of is outs,” Rigney told Angell. “So, it’s important to be able to catch the ball out there and then to know what to do with it.

“You can’t give a major league team four outs in an inning and expect to win.”

What you can expect is what has happened repeatedly to the Dodgers, who are closer to last place than first in the National League West because of their unsurpassed generosity afield.

They not only lead the league in errors with 45 in their first 36 games, they are on a pace to break the club record for errors in a season, 193, set by the 1962 team.

And while it was Von Hayes’ two-run home run off Tom Niedenfuer that broke a 5-5 tie in the sixth, it was the Dodgers’ third error of the night that finally mocked the fact that the Dodgers outhit the Phillies, 9-5, struck out 13, a season high, and once held a rare three-run lead.

When rookie shortstop Mariano Duncan muffed Jeff Stone’s leadoff grounder in the fifth for his second error of the game, it may have seemed innocent enough. But for Orel Hershiser, who was pitching with a sore right elbow, another four-out inning was one too many.

An infield hit and Hershiser’s fifth walk loaded the bases, which were cleared when Glenn Wilson grounded a triple into the right-field corner.

That tied the score, 4-4, and brought on Niedenfuer, who served up another triple to Luis Aguayo. All four runs were unearned.

The Dodgers evened it in the top of the sixth, but Niedenfuer--who hadn’t given up a run in his last five appearances and struck out the side in two innings--walked Stone and grooved a fastball to Hayes, who did a little jump for joy as the ball cleared the wall in right.

“Vonnerful, Vonnerful,” the message board flashed.

Viped out were the Dodgers, who went down with just an infield hit in the last three innings.

“Everybody makes errors,” Lasorda said afterward. “They’re part of the game.”

They’re too big a part, however, of too many Dodger games.

“Every time we make an error,” Lasorda said, “it seems to hurt us.”

But while Dave Anderson, who started the season as the Dodgers’ No. 1 shortstop, plays around the infield at Albuquerque, the Dodgers continue their on-the-job training at short for Duncan, who started the season at Double-A San Antonio--and at second base.

Duncan has made a team-high seven errors, and five of those have come at short. He has made at least as many outstanding plays, which is why Lasorda says he is satisfied with his effort.

“I think he’s done a super job,” Lasorda said. “If I thought he was hurting the club or not doing the job, he wouldn’t be out there.”

Hershiser said he wasn’t planning to be out there more than five innings, not with an elbow that has become progressively worse.

“It started out as a twinge that turned into a little soreness,” Hershiser said. “I was throwing well enough to continue pitching but I wasn’t going to be a hero and ruin myself for the rest of the year. I hope the elbow comes around by my next start.” With Hershiser throwing all over the place--he walked three batters in the second, including opposing pitcher John Denny with the bases loaded--it isn’t likely Lasorda was planning to wait any longer.

Duncan’s error gave him little choice. Hayes’ home run made Niedenfuer something less than the ideal choice.

“It seems like when we don’t score any runs we give up one,” Niedenfuer said. “And when we score some runs, we give up six or seven.

“Someone’s going to have to step in and throw a shutout or knock in six runs one day. We have to be a little more consistent.”

And maybe one day, they can all catch the ball, too.

Dodger Notes Sid Bream is coming back, and Al Oliver is going on the 15-day disabled list, the ninth Dodger player to go on the DL this season. Oliver was supposed to have made his first start since April 30 on Saturday, but he says he aggravated the hamstring pull, which has limited him to pinch-hitting, when he flied out in the eighth inning of Friday’s loss. “The inactivity caught up with me, I guess,” said Oliver, referring to his deployment as a part-time player. “When you’ve been a machine all these years, it’s hard to make an adjustment to playing a different role. Mentally, I adjusted pretty well, but evidently my body didn’t.” Oliver, who will be 39 in October, flared at the suggestion that age had anything to do with the time it has taken to recover. “Look at me, the way I move,” said Oliver, who is in superb shape. “That’s a stupid question.” So with Oliver unable to play, the call went out for Bream, who left the Dodgers April 24 as a first baseman and returns as an outfield candidate. Bream, who hit .323 with two home runs at Albuquerque, played nine games there in the outfield, three at first base. He made no errors in the outfield. Manager Tom Lasorda said he was undecided about how he’d use Bream. “I’ve never seen him play the outfield,” Lasorda said. Bream will report in time for today’s game. . . . John Denny, who gave up all five Dodger runs, has won only once in 20 starts against Los Angeles. Reliever Larry Andersen got the win, with Don Carman getting the save. . . . Von Hayes, who is hitting .346, has a 13-game hitting streak. Asked if he could use Hayes, Lasorda said: “Where would he play?” . . . Ken Landreaux had only one hit in his previous 18 at-bats before going 2 for 2 Friday and 3 for 5 Saturday.. . . Greg Brock, who has one hit in two games here, started the season with a lifetime average of .107 in Veterans Stadium. . . . In his last six appearances, Tom Brennan has given up 18 runs and 25 hits in 15 innings, with his earned-run average rising from 1.88 to 7.58. The Flamingo may be an endangered species. “I’ve got to use him,” Lasorda said, “when I’m in a position of having to go early to the bullpen.” . . . Dave Anderson played second base in his first game at Albuquerque and had two hits.