Valenzuela’s Four-Hitter Stops Reds, 2-1

There have been times this year when Fernando Valenzuela had to sweat over where his next run was coming from. But Saturday night, the Dodger pitcher barely had time to work up a sweat before receiving all the runs he would need.

On the strength of a two-run first, Valenzuela shut down the Reds, 2-1, before a Dodger Stadium sellout crowd of 48,410, to kick Los Angeles’ lead in the National League West back up to six games over the Reds and the San Diego Padres.

Valenzuela boosted his record to 13-8, thus surpassing last year’s win total when he finished 12-17.

In winning his sixth straight, and eighth in his last nine decisions, the Dodger left-hander permitted just four singles, three of the infield variety, and struck out eight. The lone Reds run was unearned.

Mariano Duncan opened up the Dodger half of the first by bouncing a pitch by loser Jay Tibbs (5-12) into the right-field seats, just inside the foul pole, for a ground-rule double. Duncan moved to third on a ground-out and scored on Ken Landreaux’s fly to right.

After Guerrero walked, back-to-back singles by Greg Brock and Mike Marshall brought home what proved to be the winning run.

Simple enough.

All Valenzuela had to do was make it stand up. That he did.

The first Cincinnati hit was a ground ball by Nick Esasky fielded cleanly by Steve Sax at second.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Sax’s throw was not as clean, sailing just enough to force first baseman Greg Brock off the bag.

That was the Reds’ offense until the fifth when they collected another hit without getting the ball out of the infield, this one a tough grounder to third that Nick Esasky was able to beat out.

After Diaz walked, Cincinnati continued its assault on the Dodger infield. Ron Oester hit a bouncer into the hole at short that Duncan was able to knock down. His only shot for an out was at third, but Esasky got there before the ball.

Bases loaded, none out. The Reds, as the ensuing innings would prove, were looking at their only chance at breaking through against Valenzuela.

Three batters later, they were still looking.

Valenzuela had only himself to blame for the lone Cincinnati run, hurling a wild pitch in the dirt to Tibbs, allowing Esasky to score an unearned run.

Valenzuela didn’t allow much else. He got Tibbs and Gary Redus on ground balls and struck out Dave Concepcion to close out the fifth.

And he didn’t allow a ball out of the infield until the ninth with the exception of Buddy Bell’s solid single to right in the sixth.

Esasky almost changed all that with one swing.

Valenzuela began the ninth by getting Bell on a ground ball.

Then he seemed to tire. He walked Tony Perez, and Esasky followed with a high fly ball down the left-field line that seemed to hang on the edge of victory or defeat forever.

It finally landed foul by only a couple of feet and Valenzuela heaved a big sigh.

He wasn’t totally out of trouble. Esasky got aboard on an infield single and Valenzuela fell behind Diaz, two balls and no strikes.

But, after a pep talk from Manager Tom Lasorda, he got Diaz on a long fly to left and Oester on a force out to end the tension.

And the game.

Dodger Notes The Hollywood Stars defeated a media team, 7-4, in a 2 1/2-inning prelude to Saturday’s main event. . . . The big blow for the winners was a drive by actor Tom Selleck, that was called “a three-run homer” by game announcer Gary Owens, but looked a lot more like a double followed by a couple of errors. . . . When Pedro Guerrero, wearing a media shirt, stepped up to the plate as a pinch-hitter against the Hollywood team, he was presented with a large clock. Guerrero missed Thursday’s Dodgers-Reds game when he missed a wake-up call and subsequently the airline flight that was scheduled to bring him back from his home in the Dominican Republic. . . . Entertainer Danny Kaye received the Danny Goodman Award prior to the game, given for outstanding public service. . . . Mike Marshall’s first-inning single extended his brief hitting streak to eight games.