Dodgers Win, 10-3, Now Just One Away

They can’t break out the champagne and Perrier yet, but Tuesday night before 38,582 in Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers kicked down the door to the wine cellar with a 10-3 win over the San Diego Padres that clinched a tie for the National League’s Western Division title.

With five games left, the magic number is now one. Another Dodger win or Cincinnati loss, and it will be a day of bitter wine for a Rose.

The Dodgers came to work Tuesday knowing they could do no better than a tie after the Reds had beaten the Giants, 7-6, earlier in the day.

But they made sure they went home with at least that much, scoring three runs in their first at-bat and breaking the game open with five runs and six hits in the fourth.

The Dodgers had 15 hits in all, three each by Mariano Duncan and Pedro Guerrero. Duncan also stole two bases, scored two runs and drove in another pair.

Mike Marshall had two RBIs as well, giving him a team-leading 90 for the season, two more than Guerrero.

After Rick Honeycutt failed to last the fourth, Carlos Diaz entered and pitched five shutout innings for his sixth win of the season against three losses.

Diaz, in the strongest effort by a Dodger reliever in at least a week, allowed just four hits and did not walk a batter.

The defending champion Padres returned home to San Diego without having to squirm at the sight of the Dodgers clinching. The Padres, the only team in the West to beat the Dodgers more times than they lost, took 10 out of 18 from Los Angeles.

The last time Honeycutt pitched, at Houston eight days ago, Manager Tom Lasorda pulled him even though he was working on a three-hit shutout in the sixth inning. Honeycutt told a reporter afterward that he was angrier then than he’s ever been in a ballgame.

Tuesday, it was Lasorda’s turn to be perturbed with Honeycutt, who was given a 3-0, first-inning lead but was gone by the fourth, when he gave up a two-out, RBI triple to opposing pitcher Dave Dravecky and another run-scoring single to shortstop Mario Ramirez.

But in the bottom of the fourth, the Dodgers sent 10 men to the plate during an exhibition that included demonstrations of at least two other sports besides baseball.

First, it was pinch-hitter Reggie Williams as swimmer, performing the Australian crawl to reach first base after tumbling in his haste to beat out a bunt that loaded the bases.

After Duncan singled home two runs to make the score, 6-3, it was time for a little basketball. Instead of backing up a step, Padre third baseman Kurt Bevacqua made like a power forward going up for a rebound on Enos Cabell’s chopper, but came up with only air as Cabell’s ball bounded into left field for a two-run double. Marshall, who had doubled in a run in the third, then singled in the final run of the inning.

In the third, Marshall also showed he had a little Magic Johnson in him, rearing back to throw to third base on Jerry Davis’ base hit, then dribbling the ball on one bounce back to himself.

It may not have been art, but it was entertaining.

Singles by Duncan, Bill Madlock, Guerrero and Mike Scioscia gave the Dodgers their three runs in the first.

Padre Notes

Bill Russell, still suffering from blurred vision in his right eye, will miss the playoffs, the Dodgers announced Tuesday. Russell, who has participated in five league championship series as a Dodger, was examined again by Dr. James Berbos, a Fullerton eye specialist. There is swelling and fluid behind the eye, and the condition has not yet cleared. The Dodgers must submit their 25-man postseason roster by Friday. With Russell unavailable, it is likely the Dodgers will include both Dave Anderson and Jay Johnstone on the roster and go with just nine pitchers, dropping rookie Dennis Powell. . . . Dodger third baseman Bill Madlock came out of the game in the top of the third because he wasn’t feeling well, according to trainer Bill Buhler. . . . Padres shortstop Garry Templeton fouled a ball off his left shin in the third and came out of the game with a severe bruise. . . . Padre catcher Terry Kennedy sat out the game with an inner ear infection, while outfielder Tony Gwynn, who strained his right hamstring the night before, was given the night off. . . . Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda will be inducted into the “Avenue of Athletes” by the Echo Park Chamber of Commerce today at noon in ceremonies on Sunset Boulevard. Also inducted will be Billie Jean King and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.