M-Squad Bats Give Hershiser Right Support

On a Sunday in which America was linked by hands, a Dodger Stadium crowd of 40,424 used theirs to applaud a 5-2 Dodger victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Orel Hershiser ignored heat and smog to pitch a five-hit complete game in which he also singled to ignite a tie-breaking rally in the seventh.

Bill Madlock delivered a two-run single in that inning to break the 2-2 tie and help sustain the recent shift in momentum and optimism, much of it stemming from the consistency of Madlock and Mike Marshall.

Batting in the position once reserved for Pedro Guerrero, cleanup hitter Marshall extended a hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the sixth. He has 12 RBIs in the streak, his 35th of the season (only Hubie Brooks with 38 has more in the National League) coming on a ground out in a two-run first.

Madlock, batting third and now having regained a familiar groove after his early season leg injury, has batted .368 over the last 12 games and has 10 hits in his last 16 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

The Dodgers, playing without an error in five of the last six games, have won 8 of their last 11, including six of nine on the home stand that ended Sunday.

A nine-game trip to New York, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia opens in Shea Stadium Tuesday night with Dwight Gooden posing a formidable challenge for Madlock and Marshall, the new M & M.

The Sunday win put the Dodgers back at .500, 2 1/2 games behind Houston and San Francisco in the National League West.

Said a pragmatic Madlock: “It’s a good thing we’re not in the East. If we were, we could kiss our (bleep) goodby.”

The point: Instead of trailing the Mets by 7 1/2 games, the Dodgers may be closing in on redemption, still alive in their bid to recover from what Madlock called those “10 to 15 games we simply gave away because we couldn’t catch a fly ball or a two-hopper.”

The Dodgers are now forging some of their own breaks.

“Good teams do that,” Madlock said.

The seventh inning was an example.

Kevin Gross, who was duplicating Hershiser’s effectiveness, yielded a one-out single to his pitching adversary. Steve Sax walked. Hershiser and Sax advanced on a ground out.

Madlock then slashed a wicked one hopper at third baseman Mike Schmidt.

“It was crushed,” Schmidt said. “You either catch those or you don’t.”

Schmidt didn’t. The ball kicked off his bare right hand, hit the inside of his right thigh and caromed into left field for a two-run single, breaking the tie.

There were two out with a base open at the time, but Philadelphia Manager John Felske chose Madlock over Marshall.

“It was the second or third time on the home stand that they pitched to me instead of Mike because he’s hitting so well, because he’s such a home-run threat,” Madlock said.

Asked to measure the combination’s impact, Madlock smiled and said: “This is the lineup we have to go with if we’re going to win anyway, but when you get production from the people you expect to produce, then everyone else can relax a little. (Franklin) Stubbs isn’t trying to hit every pitch out of the park and (Mike) Scioscia isn’t trying to do more than he’s capable.”

Stubbs did hit one out Sunday, hammering his sixth home run in the eighth.

Marshall’s RBI grounder and a Greg Brock single had provided Hershiser with a 2-0 cushion in the first, when craftsman Madlock’s hit-and-run ground out to the right side put two runners in scoring position.

Hershiser struggled some early, yielding a home run to catcher Darren Daulton in the second and an RBI double to Luis Aguayo in the fourth. He then allowed only one hit over the final five innings, dismissing a lineup that included seven batters at .225 or less.

The heat and smog was a tougher challenge. Hershiser, who is now 5-3 with a 1.95 earned-run average, said he had difficulty breathing at times, particularly after running the bases in the seventh.

“I didn’t have the same energy level that I would on a nice, cool night,” he said. “We’re physically prepared to go nine in heat like this, but you have to push yourself mentally.

“I didn’t get stronger, I just fooled ‘em a little better.

“I was erratic with my breaking pitches at that start. I found a pretty good groove between the fourth and eighth innings.”

Madlock and Marshall had already found it.

Dodger Notes

The Dodgers will tackle a string of 16 straight games with a nine-man pitching staff, one of the nine being Alejandro Pena, who has made only two appearances since 1984. Pena was activated after Sunday’s game and will be used in relief. Asked if he is ready, Pena nodded affirmatively. Asked if he is happy with the relief assignment, Pena said: “I do whatever he wants, but it takes me 15 minutes to warm up.” . . . Said Manager Tom Lasorda: “It takes everyone 15 minutes to warm up. I don’t have a starting spot for him. I want to see him out of the bullpen first.” . . . The Dodgers also optioned pitchers Balvino Galvez and Carlos Diaz to Albuquerque, first removing Diaz from the disabled list, where he has been recovering from a sore shoulder. “He has to go out and pitch,” Lasorda said. . . . Diaz didn’t seem pleased. “There’s nothing I can do about it,” he said. “You’ve got to go where they send you. I’ll at least get to pitch. I’ve got to be able to pitch there, don’t I?”

Lasorda dropped Mariano Duncan and his .194 average to eighth in the batting order Sunday and batted Steve Sax in the leadoff spot. . . . “A leadoff man is supposed to get on base,” Lasorda said. “He (Duncan) hasn’t done that.” . . . Duncan went hitless but Sax singled, walked twice, scored two runs, stole a base and emerged hitting .329. . . . Sunday’s batting practice catcher was infielder Dave Anderson, who has now inherited Terry Whitfield’s role as the emergency catcher behind Mike Scioscia and Alex Trevino. Anderson said he has not caught competitively since Little League, but felt this could enhance his versatility. “I’m not going to be a Gold Glove catcher,” he said, “but I think you’re going to see a lot of teams going this way with the 24-man rosters.” Anderson said. He will hone his skills by catching batting practice and warming up the pitcher between innings. “You don’t want to get into an extra inning situation, have to look for volunteers and see everyone running for the clubhouse,” Anderson said. . . . The Phillies were 2-7 on a trip that ended Sunday and batted .204. Sunday’s Attendance: 40,424 1986 Attendance (27 dates): 1,090,233 1985 Attendance (27 dates): 1,096,951 Decrease: 6,718 1986 Average: 40,379