Niedenfuer Continues to Purr as Dodgers Win Again, 8-3

Tom Niedenfuer was the hands-down winner of the Dodger Most Likely to Be Traded Award this spring. That’s one reason he grew back his mustache, though that’s a thin disguise for a 6-5, 225-pound relief pitcher.

But here it is, a game shy of the season’s halfway point, and Niedenfuer is still a Dodger. One, pitching coach Ron Perranoski said, whom the team could hardly do without.

“He’s held our pitching staff together,” Perranoski said Tuesday night after the Dodgers closed to within 2 1/2 games of the first-place San Diego Padres in the NL West with an 8-3 win over the Pirates before a quorum of 6,748 in Three Rivers Stadium.

At one time, Niedenfuer was on the verge of pitching his last inning for the Dodgers. Now he pitches middle innings, late innings, just about any inning that Manager Tom Lasorda has the urge to use him.

Monday night, Niedenfuer warmed up in the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 4-3 win. Tuesday, Lasorda called for him in the sixth inning, with the Dodgers leading, 6-2.

There were no outs and Bill Madlock was on first with an infield hit when Niedenfuer took over. Two pitches later, he was out of the inning, as George Hendrick grounded into a double play and Jason Thompson flied to left.

In the seventh, Niedenfuer gave up a run for the first time in 10 appearances, but he retired the last seven Pirates to close out the win.

Niedenfuer has appeared in a staff-leading 31 games this season, has 7 saves, 3 wins and a 2.12 ERA. He also has 53 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 55 innings.

“He’s had to be a real swingman,” said winning pitcher Rick Honeycutt, “and he’s adapted extremely well. At times he’s really been a little mad about when he’s used, but he’s done it very well. And the last month or so, he’s been outstanding, as good as anybody can be.”

That’s the way he was in 1983, when he was the undisputed king of the Dodger bullpen, before he blew out his elbow and the Dodgers discovered Ken Howell as their short-relief specialist. With Steve Howe back, Niedenfuer appeared to be holding the short straw.

Instead, he’s been the answer, in both short and long form.

“I’ve had to work for my seven saves,” he said, “but now that I’m healthy I don’t mind the work. The biggest thing is being healthy. I just get up when they tell me to.”

And it hasn’t hurt that Niedenfuer has added a third pitch, the split-fingered fastball, to what had been strictly a fastball-slider repertoire.

“I don’t live and die by my third pitch,” Niedenfuer said, “but it’s nice to have, especially when you have a lead.”

The Dodgers, matching their season-high of 16 hits that they collected only three games before, provided an early cushion for Honeycutt against ex-Dodger Rick Rhoden. Terry Whitfield, a last-second replacement for the injured R.J. Reynolds, was the only Dodger in the starting lineup who didn’t have at least two hits. Greg Brock had three, all singles, raising his average to a season-high .258.

That’s the same rarefied atmosphere enjoyed by Steve Sax, who was hitting .226 on the Fourth of July and has gone up 32 points since.

“The infielders decided before the trip ,” said third baseman Dave Anderson, who had a double and single and is up to .215 after being as low as .190 as recently as June 26, “to make our combined averages as high as Pedro Guerrero’s.”

Someone else also had Guerrero in his sights: Mariano Duncan, who now has as many home runs (three) as bunt doubles after hitting one out in the ninth off Pirate reliever Al Holland.

“I’m going to get 15 home runs in July,” Duncan said, laughing with Guerrero, who singled in a run in the first and doubled and scored the Dodgers’ final run in the ninth. “You did it in June, I’ll do it in July.”

The Dodgers, who have won eight out of their last 10, were losers last July, when they went 11-16 and fell a dozen games behind the Padres. But they’re hitting now, which they’ll have to do to stay close to San Diego.

“Whenever you’re hitting .200, which is not where you belong, it’s depressing,” Brock said. “You want to get your average up, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it.”

When Brock wasn’t hitting, there was something the Dodgers thought of doing--getting another first baseman.

“That’s the way it’s been as long as I’ve been here,” Brock said. “They took three first baseman in the free-agent draft two years ago, they talk trades, but what can you do about it? If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be.

“I’m not trying to impress them (the Dodgers), I’m just trying to do my job.”

For now, Brock is doing both.

Dodger Notes

Pitcher Carlos Diaz, who flew home on Monday to be with his wife, Barbara, after she gave birth to the couple’s second daughter, Erica Lynn, will rejoin the team in Chicago on Thursday. . . . Outfielder Mike Marshall, who underwent an appendectomy on June 20, will meet with Dr. Frank Jobe this morning in Los Angeles. If he gets Jobe’s OK, Marshall, too, will rejoin the team in Chicago and begin working out. . . . Outfielder R.J. Reynolds was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup when he pulled a pulled abdominal muscle and will be out three to five days. Terry Whitfield played in place of Reynolds, who had been starting regularly in Marshall’s absence. “When’s Marshall back?” Reynolds said with a grin. “That’s my funeral.” . . . Also taken to the hospital was outfielder Jay Johnstone, who now has a back injury. Buhler said he suffered it “a few days ago.” Manager Tom Lasorda said Johnstone is “in excruciating pain.” Johnstone was diagnosed as having “pain in his lower back,” according to a Dodger official and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list today. Once again an injury has staved off the possibility of his being released. . . . Infielder Bob Bailor, who could have come off the disabled list on Monday, remained in limbo for a second day, although Dodger Vice President Al Campanis said Bailor will come off the DL today. Bailor, to anyone who inquired about his status: “If you hear anything, let me know.” . . . Rick Honeycutt was lifted in the sixth even though he’d only given up four hits. “That’s just the way my year has been,” said Honeycutt, now 6-7. “It’s going to take a couple of really strong performances to show him (Lasorda) that he can stick with me a little later in the ballgame.” . . . Outfielder Ralph Bryant went 5 for 5 and hit his ninth home run in Albuquerque’s 7-6 loss to Portland on Monday night.