Dodgers, in Need of Something Extra, Lose to Expos in 11th, 3-2

Ken Howell flung his cap into the Olympic Stadium stands Saturday afternoon. It was not an act of celebration.

It was, however, one of the better throws made by the Dodgers. And at least, Howell got his cap back, a compassionate Montreal fan in the crowd of 21,241 returning it to the Dodger reliever.

There was no retrieving the Dodgers’ 3-2, 11-inning loss to the Expos, which began with Tim Raines scoring from first base on Orel Hershiser’s first-inning pickoff throw, a once-in-a-lifetime feat even for Raines’ flying feet.

And it ended with Herm Winningham slapping a single through a Dodger infield that was expecting a bunt and instead got bounced--along with the rest of the team--for the fifth time in the last six games. In extra-inning games, the Dodgers are now 0-6.

The Expos’ seventh straight win also was aided in great measure by a first-inning Dodger rally that short-circuited when second-base umpire Paul Runge ruled that Mike Scioscia had interfered with Expo shortstop Hubie Brooks on an attempted double play.

The Dodgers, who already had two runs in, would have had another, plus Franklin Stubbs on first base, if interference had not been called. Instead, a run was disallowed, and the Dodgers didn’t score the rest of the afternoon, leaving the bases loaded in the ninth and seven runners on in the last four innings.

Howell, who had said his arm was tired the day before, when he hadn’t pitched, gamely tried to last four innings Saturday.

“Sometimes, you’ve just got to go all out,” said the Dodgers’ only reliable reliever, who came into the game with an 0.90 earned-run average and departed with his second loss without a win.

“Sometimes, you’ve just got to keep going and can’t stop. I kept thinking we were going to win at any minute. Instead, I more or less beat myself.”

For three innings, Howell had kept the Expos from beating him, striking out five batters, including Dodger-killer Brooks and Andres Galarraga on six straight pitches in the 10th.

But in the 11th, Albert D. Newman--who’s not much bigger than Alfred E. Newman of MAD lineage--bounced a single over Howell’s head that the Dodger reliever deflected with his glove but could not stop.

The next batter, Mike Fitzgerald, laid down a bunt on which Howell made the pick-up quickly, then looked toward second. But Howell hesitated before he threw, and when he finally did throw, too late to get Newman, he misfired, tossing the ball into center field. Newman was unable to advance to third, and Fitzgerald reached first on the fielder’s choice.

“I got the ball and made the turn to second,” Howell said. “I saw Billy’s (Russell) hand pointing toward first at the last minute.”

Scioscia said he was yelling at Howell to throw to first, instructions that Howell said he never heard.

“If he had made up his mind to throw to second, I think the runner would have been out,” Scioscia said. “But he waited, looked, and then he rushed his throw. And that was that.”

A moment later, that was the ballgame. Winningham, who had fouled off a bunt attempt, crossed up the Dodgers by grounding a hit past shortstop Russell, who had broken to cover third.

Russell claimed afterward that Winningham’s ball had struck base-runner Newman, but umpire Runge had disagreed.

Runge said Russell never spoke to him.

“Come to think of it, Russell sort of looked at me,” Runge said, “but he didn’t say anything. The ball clearly didn’t hit anybody. Russell was running full speed toward third base, and the ball was hit behind him. That would have been hard for him to see.”

The Dodgers didn’t see the first-inning interference play the same way Runge did, either, Scioscia and Manager Tom Lasorda arguing to no avail. Runge said Scioscia had slid out of his way to get Brooks; Scioscia said his foot was near the bag.

Runge pointed out the skid marks left by Scioscia to support his argument.

“Even (Steve) Sax came out later and said, ‘Where was he?’ ” Runge said. “I said, ‘There’s the mark. Would you want interference called if someone slid this far at you?’ Sax said, ‘Oh, yeah.’

“I think anybody’s interpretation would have been exactly the same as mine, if you took an honest opinion. Now, in a one-run game, I know they’re all talking about that play, but how about a runner scoring all the way from first on a pickoff?”

Now, Raines is one of the fastest men in baseball, the only player to steal at least 70 bases in five different seasons. He has done it in his first five seasons.

But even Raines never had scored from first on a botched-up pickoff. Not in the big leagues, minor leagues or in the Little League.

“I didn’t pick up my base coach right away,” said Raines, who took off when Hershiser’s low throw skipped past Greg Brock and rolled to the tarpaulin on the right-field railing.

“I was just busting my butt to get to third. I took a look as soon as I hit the bag, and I saw that (Greg) Brock didn’t come up throwing. He seemed to throw a lob to Sax.

“At the time, I hadn’t even broken my stride, so I just kept going. If he had come up throwing, I would have stopped. When he did throw it, it didn’t have enough on it.”

Raines scored easily, as Sax’s hurried relay sailed past Scioscia. Brock took the blame.

“I made the mistake of not turning and throwing home,” Brock said. “I didn’t anticipate that he would go home. I turned and checked, but I didn’t think he’d go.”

Hershiser didn’t let another ball out of the infield until there were two out in the sixth, but that one was Tim Wallach’s game-tying single to right.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, managed just one more hit off Expo starter Jay Tibbs through seven, then came up empty against the Expo bullpen while Howell pitched on and on.

“A short reliever can only go so far,” Howell said, “then they’re going to start to get to you.”

And when they do, it’s enough to make a man throw his hat into the seats.

Dodger Notes Dodger reliever Carlos Diaz went on the 15-day disabled list and has been told not to throw a ball for at least 10 days because of a strained rotator cuff, according to Dodger trainer Bill Buhler. That diagnosis was made by an Expos physician who examined Diaz Saturday morning. Diaz had pitched in just five games, once since April 22, and had a 0-0 record with a 9.45 ERA. Four of the five runners who have been on base when he entered a game have scored. . . . Mariano Duncan (swollen left knee) and Mike Marshall (sore left arm) did not play. In Marshall’s case, there appeared to be some confusion. Marshall said he could pinch-hit; Manager Tom Lasorda said Marshall couldn’t swing. The final version from Marshall was that he told Lasorda he could hit, but only in an emergency, and the situation never arose. . . . Greg Brock is 1 for 12 since his first-inning home run Thursday in Chicago. In the eighth inning Saturday, with runners on second and third and two out, Brock fouled out to the catcher. “I can’t explain it--it’s frustrating right now,” said Brock, hitting .188 overall. “I’m seeing my pitches, but I’m not hitting them and I don’t know why. I’m getting myself out. They’re not getting me out.” . . . Bill Madlock, in his first game back off the disabled list, went 0 for 5 and did not get the ball out of the infield. Expos third baseman Tim Wallach took a hit away from Madlock in the sixth with a stop of his backhand smash. . . . For the second straight day, Ken Landreaux had three hits.