Guerrero Out; Dodgers Underpower Cubs : With Slugger Sidelined, the Singles Hitters Come Through in 3-1 Win That Puts L.A. a Half-Game Behind San Diego

With Pedro Guerrero confined to bed because of muscle spasms in his back Thursday afternoon, the Dodgers might have considered sleeping in.

Instead, they showed up at homer-happy Wrigley Field with a starting lineup that included only one man, Greg Brock, who had more than three home runs this season--and still beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-1, before a crowd of 35,469. With the victory, the Dodgers moved within a half-game of the San Diego Padres, who lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-0.

Enos Cabell, a Dodger for all of two days, was the new cleanup hitter. He also was the right fielder, although it had been 10 years since Cabell last caught a fly ball in a regular-season game.

“He said it had been a long, long time,” Manager Tom Lasorda said. “I told him we’d give him a crash course in about 15 minutes.”

With the wind blowing in and Bob Welch pitching a three-hitter for seven innings, Cabell emerged unscathed from what could have been a demolition derby. He not only caught both fly balls that came his way but also chipped in with his first two hits as a Dodger.

No matter that the first one traveled little more than 35 feet down the third-base line. He got it amid a three-run seventh that broke a scoreless tie and sent the Dodgers to their 10th win in their last 12 games.

“It was a patented hit,” Cabell said. “Chop-chop. A Jose Cruz model. He does it all the time.”

The rally was begun by Bill Russell, the No. 3 hitter in the Dodger lineup even though he was batting just .167 (8 for 48) since May 8.

Russell also played left field and did his Derrel Thomas impression with a basket catch in the eighth that left Ryne Sandberg stranded on third after the Cubs had scored their only run.

“Whoever thought that Bill Russell and Davey Lopes would play left field in the same game?” said Mark Cresse, Dodger bullpen coach.

Lopes, who used to be Russell’s double-play partner with the Dodgers, was in left for the Cubs. Another member of that historic infield, third baseman Ron Cey, wound up in the hospital to have his ribs X-rayed after taking one of Welch’s fastballs flush in the back in the fourth inning.

Once Russell and Cabell had reached base against Cub starter Ray Fontenot and had advanced on a sacrifice by Brock, Candy Maldonado was walked intentionally, loading the bases and setting up a double-play opportunity. But Steve Yeager ruined the Cub strategy and broke the tie with a two-run single that gave him four RBIs in a week, more than he’d had in the first three months of the season.

“We may not be able to do it every day, but with Pete out, we’ve got to go a little harder,” said Yeager, speaking for the team’s senior citizens.

At game’s end, there was no telling how long Guerrero--absent for the first time in 82 games this season--would be out. He was examined Thursday morning at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where doctors said he had aggravated an old injury. Although Guerrero said for two months last season that his back was bothering him, trainer Bill Buhler said he had no record of a prior injury.

Guerrero was prescribed medication and told to stay in bed. Dodger officials said that if there is no improvement by today, he will take a plane back to Los Angeles for further examination.

Without Guerrero, of course, the Dodgers are dependent on the kind of pitching they got Thursday from Welch, who made his fourth straight impressive start before giving way to Ken Howell, who recorded his ninth save.

Welch, who still may face off-season surgery, said he is no longer preoccupied with his troublesome elbow.

“Once you get to a certain point, you can tell if you’re going to have any complications,” said Welch, who didn’t allow a run until pinch-hitter Thad Bosley and Sandberg both doubled in the eighth.

“I’m now to the point where I don’t pay any attention to it,” Welch said. “I threw a lot of breaking balls and I felt fine.

“It was a good team effort. You can’t help but like it. We’re winning, everybody is having fun, we’re working plays like the hit-and-run, and I’m helping out.”

Dodger Notes

Fernando Valenzuela, named to the National League All-Star team for the fifth straight season, is scheduled to pitch against the Cubs Saturday and doesn’t know whether he’ll be able to pitch in Tuesday night’s game. “Two days’ rest,” Valenzuela said. “I don’t know how many innings I’ll pitch.” Valenzuela was the only left-hander selected. “I’m 2-0, and he makes the All-Star team,” reliever Carlos Diaz said. “Do you believe that? Fernando, can you take a guest?” . . . Orel Hershiser, on being passed over despite an 8-3 record: “No big surprise. It has to do with going out and giving a bad performance (in his last start, a 7-1 loss to St. Louis Sunday). If I go out and pitch well and the team does well, then things like that will be icing on the cake.” . . . According to Seymour Siwoff of the Elias Sports Bureau, Enos Cabell last started in the outfield July 25, 1982, when he played left field for the Detroit Tigers in the second game of a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers. He appeared in two other games in the outfield that season but handled no chances, Siwoff said. In 1975, he played 67 games in the outfield for Houston. . . . Cabell said he played the outfield in exhibitions. “I’d play all three outfield positions so I could run and play like I was Willie Mays,” he said. . . . Before Thursday, Bob Welch had won once in eight decisions against the Cubs in the last three seasons. . . . Mike Marshall, who underwent an appendectomy on June 20, took batting practice here, hit a couple of balls into the seats and said he hoped to be back after the All-Star break. “I was able to turn on the ball, and it felt pretty good,” Marshall said. . . . Steve Sax, who had two hits and drove in the Dodgers’ third run, has hit in eight straight games (15 for 31, .484) and is batting .263.

CLOSING IN When the Dodgers lost to the Padres, 5-4, on June 27, they fell six games behind division-leading San Diego. Here’s how the Dodgers cut the Padres’ lead to a half-game over a 14-day span.

DATE PADRE SCORE DODGER SCORE GB June 28 Reds 11, Padres 9 Braves 11, Dodgers 2 6 June 29 Padres 3, Reds 0 Dodgers 3, Braves 2 6 June 30 Reds 3, Padres 2 Dodgers 4, Braves 3 5 July 1 Padres 6, Astros 5 (10) Dodgers 8, Reds 1 5 July 2 Astros 3, Padres 2 Dodgers 3, Reds 0 4 July 3 No Game No Game July 4 Padres 9, Pirates 1 Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2 5 July 5 Pirates 5, Padres 4 Dodgers 4, Cardinals 1 4 July 6 Pirates 8, Padres 7 Dodgers 8, Cardinals 3 3 July 7 Padres 3, Pirates 0 Cardinals 7, Dodgers 1 4 July 8 Suspended Game: Cubs 6, Padres 3 3 1/2 Regular Game: Padres 8, Cubs 4 Dodgers 4, Pirates 3 3 1/2 July 9 Cubs 7, Padres 3 Dodgers 8, Pirates 3 2 1/2 July 10 Cubs 4, Padres 3 Dodgers 5, Pirates 4 1 1/2 July 11 Cardinals 6, Padres 0 Dodgers 3, Cubs 1 1/2