Dodgers Are Ones to Prove Hawkins Is Only Human, 5-1

The Dodgers spoiled Andy Hawkins’ perfect record with an inning that was a masterpiece of imperfection Wednesday night, scoring four runs in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie and win, 5-1, before 45,415 in Dodger Stadium.

Hawkins, who came into the game 11-0, left with his first loss, while Jerry Reuss allowed just one unearned run in seven innings to break a four-game losing streak against the first-place Padres, who left here after taking two out of three from the Dodgers.

The Dodgers broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh in conventional fashion, when Pedro Guerrero ended an 0-for-11 string by driving his 14th home run over the fence in right.

What followed, however, was anything but conventional, as the Padres blundered in dizzying succession afield, while the Dodgers got away with some equally daffy base-running.

Hawkins’ encore to Guerrero’s home run ball was a walk to Greg Brock. Mike Marshall then lined a single to center, sending Brock to third. Padre center fielder Kevin McReynolds, however, had Marshall trapped between first and second.

But instead of waiting for Marshall to commit himself further, McReynolds threw behind the runner, to first baseman Steve Garvey. Given Garvey’s arm, that’s an invitation for anybody to run, and Marshall slid into second safely.

Hawkins then walked Mike Scioscia intentionally to load the bases, bringing up Dave Anderson, who had carried a .190 average into the game.

Anderson lined a single to left, Brock scoring. When left fielder Carmelo Martinez overran the ball, Marshall could have scored easily, too--except he was too busy scrambling back to third base. While Marshall was retreating to third, Scioscia was steaming there from second.

Martinez, however, failed to see that the Dodgers had two runners approaching the same base. He threw the ball to second, and Marshall beat the relay to the plate. That was all for Hawkins.

Pinch-hitter R.J. Reynolds then bounced a Craig Lefferts pitch through a drawn-in infield, and the Dodgers led, 5-1.

Hawkins’ start was the best in the National League since Pittsburgh reliever Elroy Face went 17-0 in 1959. The last starting pitcher to have a better start than Hawkins was Ron Guidry, who was 13-0 with the Yankees in 1978.

The Dodgers’ first run off Hawkins was scored without the benefit of a hit. The Padres matched it with an unearned run in the top of the seventh.

Hawkins hit Anderson in the left shoulder with a pitch to open the Dodger sixth. Reuss bunted, and Anderson beat Hawkins’ throw to second. Mariano Duncan fouled off two bunt tries, then sacrificed the runners over, and Anderson scored on Bill Russell’s fly to center.

Garvey, who made a leaping catch of Ken Landreaux’s liner to end the sixth, reached safely when Anderson muffed his grounder for an error. He moved to second on an infield out and scored when Terry Kennedy dumped a ball just inside the left-field line that skipped past Guerrero for a double.

An intentional walk and a single by Graig Nettles loaded the bases, but Reuss got out of the inning with the help of some curious Padre strategy.

With the count 0-and-2 on Garry Templeton, the Padres tried a suicide squeeze that was aborted when Templeton bunted foul for a third strike. Hawkins then lined to right to end the inning.

Dodger Notes Steve Sax, hitless in nine trips on the homestand and his average down to .228, was benched Wednesday. Bill Russell started at second. “He’s struggling, pressing, pushing too hard,” Manager Tom Lasorda said. . . . Tommy John, placed on waivers by the Angels earlier in the day, was a visitor in the Dodger clubhouse. John, an ex-Dodger, offered to pitch batting practice for Los Angeles in the next few days. Asked what his status is these days, John replied dryly: “Unemployed. We can talk to teams, but they can’t talk to us.” Waivers expire next Tuesday at which time John will become a free agent. Asked if he prefers one league over the other, John said: “I’d like to hit again.” He’d get that chance, of course, in the National League. . . . Russell to John: “Are you playing in the Old-Timers’ game Sunday, you and Jay (Johnstone)?”