Dodgers Waste Little Time in Driving Cubs From Their Den, 11-4

For the second straight night, the Dodgers made it tough on latecomers to Dodger Stadium, not to mention also-rans in the National League East.

Parking-lot congestion was still at peak level Thursday when the Dodgers cleared out the Chicago Cubs, scoring five runs in the first inning en route to an 11-4 win before a crowd of 34,656.

The Dodgers, who pounced on Cardinal rookie Greg Mathews for four first-inning runs Wednesday night, pounded out 11 hits against Moyer, Gumpert, Frazier and Hoffman.

That may sound like a Chicago law firm, but that’s what passed for a pitching staff for the Cubs, who are 13 games under .500 and 22 games behind the New York Mets.

Nine Dodgers had RBIs as the team matched season highs for runs scored in a game and in an inning. They didn’t hit any home runs--the Dodgers have just one in their last 14 games--but they had six doubles, giving them 11 in two nights.

“We didn’t have an awesome lineup out there, but we scored some runs, hit the ball, did everything right,” said Bill Russell, who singled, doubled, scored two runs and drove in another as a stand-in for Mike Marshall.

“Figure it out.”

Russell is as baffled as anyone when he considers that, of last season’s four division winners--the Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays--only the Blue Jays are above .500, and the Dodgers and the Cardinals are last-place teams.

“This year has been a crazy year,” Russell said. “Everybody’s been having trouble, and you don’t know why.”

Bill Madlock, who has had lots of time for observation while on the disabled list, has an idea.

“A lot of bad baseball,” he said. “Except for the Mets and Montreal, and the two teams (Giants and Astros) leading in our division, it’s the worst I’ve seen in my 14 years in the big leagues.”

A recent arrival to the big leagues, Cub rookie pitcher Jamie Moyer, came into the game with an 8.04 ERA and the added distinction of having started the Cubs’ 19-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 23, the most one-sided game in the big leagues this season.

The left-handed Moyer lasted two-thirds of an inning, by which time Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser had a five-run lead.

Hershiser retired the first nine batters but was unable to close out the Cubs himself, coming out in the seventh inning after giving up Gary Matthews’ eighth home run and an RBI single to Chris Speier.

“I didn’t pitch very well,” said Hershiser, who still came away with his eighth win. “Just the luck of the draw for me. Bob Welch pitched way better (Tuesday night) than I did, and he loses on an unearned run.”

But Carlos Diaz and Tom Niedenfuer--who now has been unscored upon in his last seven outings--finished off the Cubs, who in two years have gone from division champions to an aging team with little prospect of improvement in the immediate future.

The Cubs have changed managers--Gene Michael replacing Jim Frey--but little else. Instead of lights in Wrigley Field, fans may soon be asking for a shroud.

Dodger rookie Reggie Williams had three hits, scored twice, drove in a run and stole a base to lead the Dodger attack. Williams, with seven hits in his last 13 at-bats, raised his average to .320, matching his season high.

Russell noted the difference between Williams and another rookie, Jeff Hamilton, who singled in one run.

“Jeff’s the typical rookie--overanxious, swinging at a lot of bad pitches, trying to pull everything,” Russell said. “Reggie had a taste of this last season, and now he’s in a groove--aggressive, confident, hitting the ball to all fields.”

Ken Landreaux, Enos Cabell and Alex Trevino all doubled, Trevino driving in two runs with his pinch hit in the seventh off Guy Hoffman, the fourth Cub pitcher. Dave Gumpert, the only Cub pitcher Thursday night with an ERA of less than 4.00, pitched 1 scoreless innings before the Dodgers scored three runs off George Frazier, who preceded Hoffman.

For the second straight night, the Dodgers played errorless ball. And while they failed to gain ground on first-place San Francisco and Houston, both of whom won Thursday, they picked up a game on fifth-place Cincinnati. The Dodgers are seven games out of first but just a half-game behind the Reds.

Naturally, the trainer’s room was crowded as usual, with Russell wearing a wrap on his left calf, a souvenir from his jaunt from first to home on Landreaux’s two-run double in the first.

“Strained a muscle,” Russell said. “I’ve got 40,000 miles on these tires. Just had a little breakdown.”

Mariano Duncan, who was soaking his sprained left ankle, couldn’t resist a needle.

“Just write that Russell is retiring tomorrow,” he said.

Dodger Notes Fernando Valenzuela, as expected, was named to the National League All-Star team, and Dodger officials also were booking passage to Houston for second baseman Steve Sax, who will be officially added as a reserve today. Sax finished second in the voting behind Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs, although he was batting 45 points higher than Sandberg (.321 to .276) entering Thursday night’s game. . . . Mike Marshall, who has missed eight of the last 11 games, is going back to the doctor’s office today for more tests to determine the cause of his lower back pain. “Nothing new I can tell you,” said Marshall, who will see Dr. Robert Watkins today. . . . Pedro Guerrero ran the bases with no apparent difficulty before the game. . . . Cub catcher Jody Davis had thrown out five straight runners attempting to steal, and six out of seven, before Reggie Williams stole third with two out in the third. Davis had thrown out 48 of 98 runners, two more than he had caught all last season. . . . Davey Lopes, who turned 40 on May 3, singled to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Lopes was batting .365 in his last 30 starts, with 5 home runs, 25 runs scored, 12 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in that stretch. Cub Manager Gene Michael said Lopes has been the team’s best player. “I didn’t know how long I could play,” Lopes said. “I fooled a few people, maybe myself, too, a little bit. I can’t go all out, I pick my spots more. My whole game is predicated on speed, so I take a pounding, my legs take a pounding. And you can only take so much pounding. That’s why the Cubs use me three, four, five times a week, and give me days off. That keeps me strong.” Lopes, on a one-year contract, said he’d like to play one more year, preferably with the Cubs. But with the Cubs out of the Eastern Division race, Lopes anticipates going to a contender later in the season, just as he went from Oakland to the Cubs for the last month of the 1984 season. “I’ve already heard rumors,” Lopes said. “I don’t like to think about it, but it’s a tangible fact, I guess. If I can’t play (in Chicago), I’d like to go play somewhere close to home.” For Lopes, who was a Dodger through the 1981 season, home is Pacific Palisades. . . . Thursday night, Lopes started at third base, previously the province of Ron Cey, another ex-Dodger who lost his starting job in spring training. Cey has made 29 starts since May 7 and is batting .336 with 5 homers and 17 RBIs. Lopes left the game in the fifth inning with a slight strain of his right elbow. . . . Tonight’s game will start at 5:20 because NBC is televising it nationally. Sunday’s game will start at 2:05 p.m. because of the Equitable old-timers’ game preceding it. The 1963 and 1965 Dodgers will play in the old-timers’ game.