Dodgers Do It Again . . . Lead by 4 1/2 : It’s Another Loss, It’s to Giants, 5-3--and Suddenly, It’s a Race

The last-place Giants sent a note of cheer to their fans Friday night, then delivered a poison-pen letter to the Dodgers, whose lead in the National League West still could bounce back to them as postage due.

The crowd of 10,484 at Candlestick Park received a personal message from the tewm’s new president, Al Rosen, who promised the usual fresh approach. His closing line: “Beat the Dodgers.”

That much the Giants lived up to, winning, 5-3, and cutting the Dodger lead to 4 1/2 games over the second-place Cincinnati Reds. It was the Dodgers’ third loss in a row and the fifth in their last six games.

The Reds, winners of six in a row, have cut five games off the Dodger lead in a week, the worst seven-day stretch experienced by the Dodgers since the middle of May.

Once again, the bullpen collapsed, as reliever Tom Niedenfuer was unable to protect a 3-2 lead that he inherited from Fernando Valenzuela in the seventh. Niedenfuer, who gave up a tying single to Bob Brenly and a two-run pinch single to rookie Chris Brown, has been scored upon in six of his last seven appearances.

The 4 1/2-game margin is the Dodgers’ smallest since Aug. 8.

“You guys act like we’re out of first place,” Manager Tom Lasorda said to reporters in his office afterward.

“This guy (pointing at one questioner) is talking about ’82.”

That season, the Dodgers lost eight in a row in the final month of the season to go from three games ahead of Atlanta to two behind. They eventually caught the Braves, only to lose on the last day of the season. Right here, in fact.

“Why don’t you talk about ’59 or ‘31?” Lasorda said.

In 1959, the Dodgers won a playoff from the Milwaukee Braves and went on to win their first World Series in Los Angeles. In 1931, the Cardinals won in a walk, so it wasn’t quite clear what Lasorda was referring to.

“This is without a doubt the toughest part of the schedule,” catcher Mike Scioscia said. “That’s just the way things worked out. I know the guys are tired; we’ve had to just grind it out for the last month.

“But now it’s time we kick ourselves in the butt and play ball the way we know we’re capable.”

Friday night, the Dodgers managed only to shoot themselves in the foot.

San Francisco had fallen behind, 3-2, in the top of the seventh on Terry Whitfield’s bases-loaded pinch single and a throwing error by Giant catcher Alex Trevino, who was attempting to complete a first-to-home-to-first double play.

But Brown’s hit in the bottom of the inning capped a two-out rally that began when Jeff Leonard singled off Niedenfuer’s shin. Niedenfuer then walked Rob Deer, the Giants’ .190-hitting cleanup hitter, on a full count.

Brenly followed by lining a 1-and-2 pitch into left field for a single that scored Leonard to tie it, and Deer and Brenly moved up when Reggie Williams, just inserted into the game as a defensive replacement, booted the ball.

Up came Brown, who was supposed to have started but was a late scratch because of a tender shoulder. Niedenfuer went ahead in the count, 1 and 2, but Brown sliced his single into right field, scoring Deer and Brenly. Brown slipped coming around the first-base bag and was tagged out by Greg Brock.

“I like to beat the Dodgers because I’m from there,” said Brown, a graduate of L.A.’s Crenshaw High.

Through six innings, the Dodgers had been held to one run, Mike Marshall’s 24th home run, against Roger Mason, a 6-6 rookie right-hander who had been moved around in the Detroit Tigers’ organization for several years before coming here.

But opening the seventh, Bill Madlock was credited with a single when shortstop Jose Uribe threw high to first, and Scioscia walked. Roger Craig, the Giants’ new manager, replaced Mason with Greg Minton.

After Len Matuszek sacrificed, Steve Sax was walked intentionally to load the bases. Lasorda sent up Whitfield to hit for Valenzuela, who had walked six in six innings and also had been victimized by some loose Dodger defense.

The Giants had taken a 2-0 lead in the fifth when ex-Dodger Ron Roenicke singled and stole second. After Manny Trillo walked, Leonard hit a little looper over the head of shortstop Mariano Duncan.

Matuszek charged the ball but made no attempt to throw home, to the apparent surprise of third baseman Madlock, who was in position to cut off the throw. And with no one covering the bag, Trillo steamed into third easily.

“He (Matuszek) said he thought he could get the guy at third base,” Lasorda said. “I guess he didn’t see that the first guy held up--or slowed down.”

Valenzuela struck out Deer, but with Brenly at the plate, Leonard took off for second. Scioscia threw down to Sax, who put the tag on Leonard but failed to catch Trillo at the plate with his return throw.

“I did a poor job of faking the runner (Trillo) back,” Scioscia said. “I didn’t expect him to break.”

Scioscia, however, should be able to expect Sax to move in front of the bag and cut off the throw, but that didn’t happen.

“My throw was a little low,” Scioscia said. “Saxie told me that he thought it would be a tough play to come up with it and throw home. He decided to get the sure out.”

And so, by the end of the night, it was a sure loss, just a short time after the few inhabitants of the Bay Area who weren’t putting on their game faces for Sunday’s 49er-Raider game in Los Angeles were rewarded for their faithfulness with a handout as they entered Candlestick.

On this night, the Giants were not giving out the usual bats, hats, wristbands, socks or Frisbees, either. No siree, Al.

These fans got a letter from the boss himself, Rosen, who decided to get up-close and personal in his third day on the job.

“The main point I want to make is that I’ve been a winner all my life and I’ll make the Giants a winner,” Rosen wrote in his “Message to Giants Fans,” a message that probably would come as a shock to Astros’ fans wondering what it was that Rosen won when he was in Houston.

Rosen said that he’d been charged by owner Bob Lurie to accomplish four things:

(1) Build the best organization in baseball.

(2) Develop a plan of action for the Giants.

(3) Bring new vitality and energy to the Giants.

(4) Put a competitive club on the field in 1986.

“Your patience is worn out, and so is Bob Lurie’s,” Rosen wrote.

It was questionable how competitive a team the Giants had on the field Friday night:

--Among the missing was outfielder Chili Davis, who slipped on a wet dugout step in Cincinnati and suffered a dislocated shoulder while on his way to get a drink of water.

--Mike Krukow, who figured to be starting this weekend, bruised his right thumb while barehanding a ground ball and may not pitch again this season.

--First baseman David Green has a strained hamstring and is out for five days.

--And during batting practice, ace reliever Scott Garrelts was struck in the elbow by a fly ball and wasn’t available to pitch.

Rosen is trying to convey a message of change to his players, too, with mixed results. Two days ago, Craig walked up to Leonard and told him he could no longer wear his cap backward during batting practice.

“It’s just something I do, it doesn’t mean nothing,” Leonard reportedly said.

“It came from upstairs,” Craig responded.

“You mean, from the Lord?” Leonard asked.

Leonard doesn’t figure to stick around long. Rosen traded him from the Astros in 1981 for Mike Ivie. Rosen now calls that one of the worst trades he has made, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try, try again.

Dodger Notes Pedro Guerrero, who missed his 15th game Friday night with what has been diagnosed as a sprained left wrist, took his first swings since walking out of the Atlanta batting cage in pain and disgust more than a week ago. This time, Guerrero took his swings out of view of everyone except team therapist Pat Screnar and batting coach Manny Mota, who pitched to Guerrero in a covered batting cage behind the clubhouses. Guerrero swung for about 10 minutes. “I should know tomorrow whether it’s better or worse,” Guerrero said. “It all depends on how it will feel when I get up in the morning. I wish I could go (play). It’s been so many days since I swung.” Guerrero said the wrist was sore on every swing, according to Mota, who added: “I was pleased with what I saw. We’ll have to wait to see how much improvement there is.” . . . Bob Kennedy was added to the Giants’ new administration as vice president of baseball operations. Kennedy, 65, served new team President Al Rosen in the same capacity in Houston for the last four years. . . . The Giants altered their pitching plans for the weekend. Dave LaPoint, who was to have pitched Sunday against Orel Hershiser will miss a start because of a sore shoulder. Instead, Vida Blue (7-6) is scheduled to start. Today’s pitchers: Jerry Reuss (12-10) against the Giants’ Mark Davis (5-10).