Duncan Leads Dodgers in 10-5 Romp of Giants

As usual Monday night, Pedro Guerrero had to fight his way through a crowd in the clubhouse after the Dodgers’ 10-5 win over the San Francisco Giants before 36,536 fans in Dodger Stadium.

Only this time, the congestion was thickest around the cubicle next to Guerrero’s, the one belonging to Guerrero’s one-time house guest and fellow Dominican, rookie Mariano Duncan.

“Damn,” said Guerrero, whose contribution was a routine--for him--two singles and a walk. “Mariano stole the show tonight.”

Duncan’s show-stopping routine--a bases-loaded triple in the Dodgers’ seven-run sixth, their biggest inning of the season--was a variation of the ol’ soft shoe. He was still stepping gingerly after Warren Brusstar of the Cubs rifled a pitch off the little toe on his right foot last Friday.

“It was still bothering me a little bit,” Duncan said, “but like I told you before, I don’t like to sit on the bench.”

He was still standing when he arrived at third after clearing the bases against Giants reliever Scott Garrelts with his drive into the right-field corner.

“That pitch to Duncan was a back-breaker and he took advantage of it,” said Garrelts, the Giants only All-Star, who had come into the game with a major league best earned-run average of 0.99 and left with it a half-point higher (1.48).

“It was supposed to be a split-fingered fastball, it was supposed to break down. It didn’t do nothing. It had ‘hit me’ written all over it. It was like an 80 mile-an-hour fastball right down the middle of the plate.”

The switch-hitting Duncan, who had doubled in the Dodgers’ first run off Vida Blue in the fifth, didn’t miss the invitation, and eventually scored himself on a wild pitch by Garrelts.

With 15 hits, the Dodgers, who had spent the better part of July beating up on the Eastern elite, ran 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.

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

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 bottom of the order (Steve Sax and Steve Yeager) had three hits each, while cleanup man Mike Marshall had four, two doubles and two singles.

Yeager, who came into the game batting .200 in limited action, couldn’t recall the last time he’d had three hits in a game. It’s been a while: June 9, 1983, to be exact, against Atlanta.

“Six or seven different guys were involved in that inning,” said Yeager, whose own contribution was an opposite-field, hit-and-run single off Garrelts after Candy Maldonado had singled home the tying run.

“But I think one of the keys to the success of that inning was Greg Brock pulling the ball to second base to get that run home with men on second and third and no out.”

Brock, who went hitless in five trips, grounded to the right side after Guerrero singled and Marshall doubled to make it 3-2. “Nobody sees that,” Yeager said, “but it was noticed by me, and management, and the rest of the team. He did his job.”

Manager Tom Lasorda said: “The execution in that inning was the best I’ve seen all year.

“Second and third no out, Brock did what he was told,” Lasorda said. “Yeager went the other way on the hit-and-run. With the bases loaded, I told Sax it was a lot harder to make a 4-6-3 double play than a 6-4-3 and he hit the other way (a double that gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead).

“Maldonado walked up there and didn’t try to hit the ball out of the ballpark.”

And then there was Duncan.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” said Marshall, recalling when Duncan was making errors at a fearsome rate as well as struggling at the plate. “He’s making all the plays, and not making any mistakes. He’s going to be a great player.”

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. Both Berra, the ex-Yankee manager, and Cabell, the ex-Astro captain, are friends of Astro owner John McMullen; Berra and McMullen are neighbors in New Jersey. . . . “There’s nothin’ right now,” Cabell said Monday night. “Maybe in the future, but I’m here right now.” . . . Cabell, who will be 36 on Oct. 8, has another year left on his contract. “And I hope I play well enough that they (the Dodgers) keep me some more years. I’m not ready for that (managing). There’s a lot of pressure being a manager.” And, Cabell added, laughing, “They’re not paid a lot of money.” . . . Add Cabell: An item in The Times’ Morning Briefing on Sunday mentioned how Cabell led National League third basemen in errors with 29. “Check how many errors the Gold Glove winner made that year,” he said. The answer: Mike Schmidt, who made 27. Said Cabell: “I should have gotten the Silver Glove.”