Rain Stops Dodger Game, Steals Hit From Rose

The Dodgers showed up at Riverfront Stadium only a little bit before the rain Wednesday and got in just two innings of baseball before the game was delayed and then finally postponed. So the Dodgers, who were trailing, 2-0, after two innings, were able to complete a one-game sweep of the Reds.

The Dodgers left for Houston almost as soon as crew chief Harry Wendelstedt called the game off. That was after a two-hour rain delay, which came in addition to a 31-minute delay before the game. The Dodgers, whose game with the Reds Tuesday night had also been rained out, will likely get in a full series with the Astros in the Astrodome.

As announced earlier in the week, the Dodgers’ Jerry Reuss (3-5) will face Joe Niekro (3-6) Friday night. The status in the rotation of Bob Welch, who pitched the two innings Wednesday, has yet to be determined by Manager Tom Lasorda.

Lasorda became embroiled in a discussion with the umpiring crew over the delay in calling the game.

“All I said was, ‘Hey, I don’t want anybody getting hurt.’ I wasn’t worried about the two runs,” Lasorda said. “I said, ‘I’m sure we’ll get more than two runs off this guy (Red starter Tom Browning).’ I was concerned about guys getting hurt. We’ve got a pitcher (Welch, recently off disabled list) that if he slips and hurts his arm . . . you know what I mean?”

What there was of the game belonged to the Reds, who nicked Welch for three hits and two runs in the first inning. One of those hits would have been No. 4,145 for Pete Rose had the game counted. But it didn’t and Rose still needs 48 to break Ty Cobb’s record for most hits.