Dodgers Commit Six Errors and Lose to Padres in 14, 8-7

Rookie John Kruk, whose worst major league memory came at Dodger Stadium, also had his best moment there.

Saturday night, at exactly 11:44 p.m., Kruk delivered a two-out RBI single to give the San Diego Padres an 8-7, 14-inning victory over the Dodgers.

The game lasted 4 hours 41 minutes. That was enough time for Tom Lasorda and Tom Niedenfuer to be booed, for the Dodgers to boot more baseballs (they committed six errors), for infielder Dave Anderson to fracture his right pinky and for the Padres to leave 19 runners on base.

Every player who dressed (other than pitchers) played.

The 14th inning went like this: Tim Flannery singled to right, and Tony Gwynn, who went 4 for 6, beat out a grounder to second baseman Steve Sax. Alejandro Pena, the sixth Dodger pitcher, struck out Kevin McReynolds and pitcher Lance McCullers.

Then Kruk, who on opening day made a base-running error that cost San Diego the game, came through with a line drive to left field that scored Flannery.

The Padres took a 7-6 lead off Carlos Diaz in the top of the 11th inning. Gwynn singled and then tried stealing second. Catcher Alex Trevino’s throw was low, a one-hopper that scooted past Sax. Gwynn scored on McReynolds’ bloop double to center.

McReynolds then took third on a wild pitch but was stranded.

The Dodgers came back in the bottom of the 11th and tied it off San Diego’s Goose Gossage. Trevino, who had earlier homered to give the Dodgers a short-lived one-run lead in the eighth inning, singled to left. Reggie Williams bunted toward first, and Steve Garvey had no play. Runners were on first and second.

Enos Cabell made a successful sacrifice bunt, moving the runners to second and third. And then Bill Russell, who was in the game as Anderson’s replacement, hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Trevino.

The Padres, who had 23 base-runners in the game through 12 innings, nearly took the lead again in the 12th. With one out, Marvell Wynne singled. The Dodgers then committed their sixth error. Tim Flannery grounded to Diaz, who threw to second for the force-out, but instead threw it into center field.

So Wynne went to third, and Flannery slid safely into second. Lasorda, booed earlier for taking starter Jerry Reuss out with a 5-1 lead, brought in Pena, who walked Gwynn intentionally, struck out McReynolds on three pitches and got Garvey to ground out to end the rally.

In his private box, Dodger Vice President Al Campanis was waving his fist in the air. But his mood soon changed.

This was a crazy game.

The Dodgers did lead once, 5-0.

But five errors--two throwing by Bill Madlock, two throwing by Trevino and one fielding by first baseman Len Matuszek--wiped it all out.

Gwynn, the league’s leading hitter, was the catalyst all night. The Padres trailed, 6-5, entering the ninth after Trevino’s eighth-inning homer, but Gwynn singled. Then, just like the 11th inning, he stole second and took third on Trevino’s throwing error. McReynolds knocked him in with a sacrifice fly to deep left.

Niedenfuer, working with a 5-3 eighth-inning lead, gave up a two-run pinch home run to Terry Kennedy. This was Niedenfuer’s eighth gopher ball of the year, and, for the fans, eight is enough. They let him have it.

So the game was tied until Trevino untied it with an eighth-inning home run off reliever Gene Walter. It carried to deep left-center, and Trevino shook his fist in delight.

The Dodgers first led, 1-0, then scored four unearned runs in the sixth inning.

Sax led off the sixth with a grounder to shortstop Garry Templeton, who booted it. After Franklin Stubbs flied out, Sax took off for second base. It just so happened that Andy Hawkins picked this moment to throw a wild pitch, and Sax ended up on third.

With the infield in, Madlock knocked Sax in with a double.

Later, Trevino knocked in two runs with with a ground-rule double that McReynolds misjudged in center. McReynolds initially charged the ball, but it flew over his head.

Funny, but the first Dodger run came in when Carmelo Martinez also misjudged a ball in the outfield.

So it was 5-0 for Reuss, who hadn’t started since June 7. Reuss’ first inning was his worst. He hit Gwynn, gave up a single to Garvey and walked Martinez on four pitches to load the bases.

But Graig Nettles, the hottest Padre hitter, popped up to Trevino, who almost misjudged it, but managed to catch it.

After that, it was quiet--McReynolds hit a bloop triple to the right-field corner in the third (he was stranded) and Andy Hawkins got a single in the fifth.

Then came the seventh inning, the Dodgers still holding a 5-0 lead.

Templeton, leading off, grounded to third baseman Madlock, who moved nicely to his left to grab it, but threw too far to Matuszek’s right for an error. Templeton stopped at second.

Next, Bruce Bochy grounded another one to Madlock, who didn’t have to move an inch. His throw was right on, too, but Matuszek dropped it. Reuss got pinch-hitter Jerry Royster to pop out, but rookie Bip Roberts--0 for 28 this season against the Dodgers--singled to left to load the bases.

With Gwynn, coming up, out came Lasorda to get Reuss. The crowd booed. Lasorda waved for Ed Vande Berg. The crowd booed. Lasorda left for the dugout. The crowd booed.

Gwynn singled in a run.

Out came Lasorda to get Vande Berg. The crowd booed. Lasorda waved for Niedenfuer. The crowd booed. Vande Berg and Lasorda left. The crowd booed.

McReynolds popped out on Niedenfuer’s first pitch, but Garvey followed with a two-run single to make it 5-3.

Martinez popped out to finally end the inning, but now the Padres were fortunate enough to be facing the Dodger bullpen. It was Reuss’ second-longest outing of the year (6 innings), and, considering he’d had to sit and watch for two weeks, giving up three runs wasn’t too bad.

With a bunch of off-days, the Dodgers were able to get by with a four-man rotation, so Reuss hadn’t started in two weeks.

“But in the past, he’s missed a lot of days and gone out and thrown nine innings with great control,” pitching coach Ron Perranoski had said before Saturday’s game.

Perranoski then peered at his calendar and counted all the off-days for the next couple of months.

“Gee,” he said, “with all the off-days we have coming up, Reuss will get 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 starts between now and Aug. 5th. After that, it all depends.”

Dodger Notes With regular shortstop Mariano Duncan watching with a sore ankle, Dave Anderson--Duncan’s replacement--injured his right pinky Saturday night. Attempting a bunt in the third inning, the ball hit him in the pinky. It was later found to be a fracture, and Anderson was placed on the 21-day disabled list, effective today. Joining Anderson was first baseman Greg Brock, who also was placed on the 21-day list (left knee), retroactive to June 19. The Dodgers announced they were recalling outfielder/infielder Ed Amelung from Albuquerque (.258, 2 homers, 14 RBIs in 26 games) and purchasing the contract of Albuquerque infielder Craig Shipley, a 6-foot-4-inch switch-hitter (.308, 0 homers, 10 RBIs in 36 games this year). Both are expected to be available to play today. . . . More on the Padre beer ban--They’re allowed to drink as much as they want here at Dodger Stadium. Padre president Ballard Smith said he instituted the ban in San Diego’s stadium for insurance purposes, but it applies only at home. . . . Coming into Saturday’s game, Padre rookie Bip Roberts was 0 for 25 this year against the Dodgers with only one ball hit out of the infield. “For some reason, the Dodgers have his number,” San Diego Manager Steve Boros said. “Against them, he’s been facing a lot of left-handers, which has made him hit right-handed. He’s better hitting lefty.” . . . Boros said he just paid his first fine as a major league manager--$200 after being ejected June 6 by umpire Charlie Williams. Williams had tossed San Diego’s Steve Garvey the previous night for arguing about a close play at the plate. The next night, Boros brought Williams a video tape of the play, and Williams threw him out, too. Word is that umpires around the league were surprised at Boros--a Mr. Nice Guy--for trying to show up Williams. Before Friday’s game here, umpire Ed Montague told him: “Listen, if you’re gonna bring a video tape up, I’d like to have Jack Nicklaus’ golf tips.” Boros was last ejected in 1971 during a minor league game in Iowa. “Yeah, every 15 years, I go bananas,” Boros said.