Duncan Leads Dodger Romp Over Giants

The Dodgers, who had spent the better part of July beating up on the Eastern elite, turned their attentions closer to home Monday night.

They fattened up on the San Francisco Giants, 10-5, before 36,536 in Dodger Stadium, to run their record in July to 19-6 and their lead in the National League West to five games over the San Diego Padres, who did not play Monday.

The Dodgers are the only team in the West to have a better-than-.500 record, although the Giants came in here with a four-game winning streak, the only reason they’re on a pace to lose 99 games this season instead of 100.

The Dodgers stripped the Giants of what little dignity they have by blowing up the San Francisco bullpen, which came in with the league’s best numbers (2.30 earned rum average) but went sky-high during the Dodgers’ seven-run sixth, their biggest inning of the year.

Mariano Duncan broke it open with a bases-loaded triple off Giant reliever Scott Garrelts, who began the night with a 0.99 ERA, the best in the majors, and left with one a half-point higher (1.48).

In all, the Dodgers had 15 hits, three each by the bottom of the order (Steve Sax and Steve Yeager) and four by cleanup hitter Mike Marshall.

Bob Welch, who gave up home runs to David Green and Jeff Leonard in six innings, won his fifth straight.

Duncan hadn’t started since Friday, the day Warren Brusstar of the Cubs bruised the little toe on his right foot with a pitch. Duncan went to the hospital that night, but before he did, he stole second base after hobbling all the way to first.

He was batting right-handed against Giant starter Vida Blue when he doubled in the Dodgers’ first run in the fifth. Blue, who turned 36 on Sunday, no longer has the fastball that made him a Cy Young Award winner in 1971, but he was handling the Dodgers with ease, striking out Pedro Guerrero, Marshall and Greg Brock (twice) in the first four innings.

Blue nearly claimed Duncan as a strikeout victim in the fifth, when the rookie barely managed to lay off a 1-and-2 pitch just out of the strike zone. Duncan then fouled off two pitches before lining a shot down the left-field line.

That scored Sax to tie the score 1-1, the Giants having scored first on Green’s third-inning home run over the 395-foot sign in center.

Leonard gave the Giants a 3-1 lead with a two-run moon shot into the left-field pavilion in the top of the sixth, but then the Dodgers unloaded with their biggest inning since they scored eight against the Padres in San Diego on June 28, 1983.

Guerrero’s single opened the inning. Marshall followed with a double into the left-field corner, and Brock’s tapper to the right side made it 3-2. When Candy Maldonado lined a single over the head of drawn-in shortstop Jose Uribe, the score was tied and Blue was gone.

Into the game came Garrelts, the Giants’ only All-Star who had allowed just two earned runs in his last 42 innings. Earlier this season, Garrelts’ fastball had been clocked at 100 m.p.h., but on this night, he wasn’t fast enough for the Dodgers.

Yeager came up with his third hit, a hit-and-run single that sent Maldonado to third. Sax then grounded a ball just inside the first-bag for a double that scored Maldonado, making it 4-3.

After an intentional walk to Terry Whitfield loaded the bases, Duncan came to the plate, this time left-handed against the right-handed Garrelts.

He lined a 2-and-2 pitch into the right-field corner, clearing the bases, then scored the seventh run of the inning on a wild pitch.

Leonard’s two-run double off reliever Ken Howell made it 8-5 in the seventh, but Howell stranded two Giant runners and breezed through a 1-2-3 eighth.

Dodger Notes The Dodgers have a couple of roster decisions to make this week, as two players, Jay Johnstone and R.J. Reynolds, are due to come off the disabled list on Friday. Johnstone, who has demonstrated an uncanny ability to be hurt just when it appeared the Dodgers might release him, figures to remain in some pain and on the DL. What the Dodgers do with Reynolds, however, may depend on the condition of Dave Anderson’s back. The Dodger infielder was examined by Dr. Robert Watkins on Monday, and according to trainer Bill Buhler, “feels pretty good. He just wants the day off.” Anderson was not in the lineup Monday, and Dodger Vice President Al Campanis said he’ll be examined again by Watkins. Campanis said he’ll wait until the results of that examination before making a decision. . . . With the Houston Astros having won just two out of their last 14 games, Manager Bob Lillis’ job reportedly is jeopardy, and published speculation has focused on Yogi Berra and Enos Cabell as possible replacements.