One-Hitter, Cabell Grand Slam Lift Dodgers to 6th Win in Row

Much of the drama that is normally present in a game-deciding, bases-loaded situation seemingly vanished Saturday at Dodger Stadium as Pedro Guerrero dejectedly walked past Enos Cabell and disappeared into the dugout.

Guerrero had been sent up to pinch-hit for Franklin Stubbs with nobody out and Dodgers on every base in the eighth inning of a 1-1 tie with the Cincinnati Reds. Almost before the ovation for him had subsided, Guerrero was sent back down, having swung at and missed three straight John Franco pitches, none of which appeared to be in the strike zone.

But after a brief lull, an event took place that was not only dramatic but also unlikely.

With the count 2 and 1, Cabell lined a Franco fastball just over the 330-foot sign down the left-field line for his first grand slam in 14 years in the majors, propelling the Dodgers to a 7-1 win over the Reds before a crowd of 42,095.

The way the Dodgers won may have been unconventional, but winning is almost beginning to become common for them. They have won six straight games and, at 51-52, are inching closer to reaching the .500 mark for the first time since June 19.

Cabell, a contact hitter whose blasts usually have a better chance of going through fences than over them, certainly had the proper placement on his home run. The fence near the foul poles is shorter than the eight-foot wall lining the rest of the outfield, and Cabell needed every bit of difference.

The home run, Cabell’s first in 67 games, gave the Dodgers a 5-1 lead, which they increased to 7-1 off Franco later in the eighth. Reliever Tom Niedenfuer (6-4), who replaced starter Alejandro Pena in the top of the eighth, earned the win as he helped hold the Reds to one hit--a sixth-inning homer by Eddie Milner.

Cincinnati reliever Ron Robinson (8-3), who replaced starter Tom Browning at the beginning of the eighth and faced only three batters, loading the bases, took the loss.

“I wasn’t trying to hit the ball anywhere--I just wanted to hit it,” said Cabell, who has no delusions about possessing any kind of long-ball prowess. “I’ve played 14 years in the big leagues, and it’s always occurred to me that I could (hit a grand slam) in that situation. But I’ve never done it.”

It happened, finally, in Cabell’s 5,848th at-bat. He had already rounded first base by the time he realized that the ball had landed in the seats, and he celebrated by raising his arms over his head and hopping for several feet.

“I haven’t hit a home run in so long, I didn’t know how to react,” said Cabell, who was asked by the fans to do a curtain call in front of the dugout. “I haven’t had any power since maybe 1978. I’ve hit a lot of balls deep to left and center, but the walls are too high. . . . I’ve never been a home run hitter, and it’s too late to try to change now.”

Guerrero, a home run hitter of some renown, didn’t look the part Saturday. It was only his second at-bat, both pinch-hitting, since returning to the active roster after a long rehabilitation from a spring-training knee injury.

But after the game, when nearly everyone had left the stadium, Guerrero had no problem making contact. Manager Tom Lasorda spent more than 15 minutes throwing extra batting practice for Guerrero, and several of Lasorda’s pitches landed over the fence.

All Lasorda and Franco have in common, though, is that they are both left-handers. Franco easily handled Guerrero, whose season debut Friday night resulted in a fly-out to right field. “I think Pete was a little over-anxious,” Franco said. “Naturally, he’s going to be rusty.”

Franco offered no excuses for his home run pitch to Cabell, who jumped on a low, inside fastball that Cabell said was at the knees but Franco said was much lower.

“Hey, it was a good pitch,” Franco said. “I had to come in with the fastball with a 2-and-1 count. Everyone knew it. I thought it was down at his ankles. I’m surprised he hit it out.”

There were a lot of surprises packed into the game, which lasted only 2 hours 12 minutes. Other than Cabell’s grand slam, the other Dodger runs were knocked in by two guys who hadn’t had a run batted in this season.

Pena, whose last hit came on Aug. 12, 1984, in San Francisco, reached out and slapped a Browning fastball into center field, scoring Mariano Duncan from second base in the second inning for the first Dodger run. Niedenfuer singled home the last two runs, in the eighth, for his first career RBIs.

That second-inning run was the only time the Dodgers got to Browning, who left in the eighth with the score 1-1.

Pena held the Reds hitless until Milner opened the sixth by hitting the first pitch over the fence in right field. But Pena recovered and retired the next six batters.

Pena, still trying to come back from surgery to his right shoulder before last season, said the plan was to pitch a maximum of seven innings. He was encouraged by his performance, especially since he was coming off a start last Sunday at Chicago in which he gave up six runs in less than two innings.

“ Muy bien ,” Pena said. “I feel great. You know how many pitches I threw? Sixty-six. And I feel I threw hard. When you throw strikes, that makes the difference. You make them hit the ball.

“Next time, I’ll try to go a little longer. Seven (innings) was my maximum (Saturday).”

Many Dodgers believe that a healthy and effective Pena will be vital if the team is to make up ground in the National League West.

“Pena had a great outing, just one bad pitch,” said Bill Russell, whose hit-and-run single off Robinson in the eighth inning moved Steve Sax to third and preceded a walk to Bill Madlock that loaded the bases. “Pitching is the key. We need it from all five starters, and that’s what we’ve had in this winning streak.”

Dodger Notes

Manager Tom Lasorda said before the game that Pedro Guerrero might make his first start before Wednesday, when the Dodgers conclude this homestand. “I expect to get him back in the lineup in a few days,” Lasorda said. “I just want him to get on base one time, so he can run the bases. I want to see how he does. Then we’ll put him back in the lineup, if he’s ready.” . . . The six runs the Dodgers scored in the eighth inning were the most runs they have scored in an inning this season. . . . Tom Niedenfuer’s last victory was June 10 at Dodger Stadium against the Reds. . . . Use your glove next time, Pete: The Reds had two outs in the second inning when Mariano Duncan hit a bouncer back to pitcher Tom Browning, who bobbled it and then threw it less than a foot over Pete Rose’s head at first base. Had Rose raised his glove hand instead of his bare hand, he might have caught the ball. . . . Orel Hershiser (10-7) will pitch for the Dodgers today at 1:05 p.m. against the Reds’ Bill Gullickson (7-6).