Dodgers Beat Reds, Ride the Blue Streak Into Astro Series, 2-1

Unlike their last two games, the Dodgers needed nothing so drastic as a grand slam to beat the Cincinnati Reds Sunday. Instead, they went toward the other extreme to complete a sweep of the three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

A bevy of well-placed bunts, a timely, run-scoring single and continued solid pitching proved to be just enough for the Dodgers to increase their winning streak to seven games with a 2-1 victory over the fading Reds before a crowd of 39,083.

Whereas grand slams by Greg Brock on Friday night and by Enos Cabell on Saturday subdued the Reds, all the offense it took Sunday was a squeeze bunt by pitcher Orel Hershiser in the third inning and Bill Madlock’s run-scoring single that drove in Hershiser in the sixth after the pitcher had reached base on another bunt.

Hershiser, when not bunting, limited the Reds to four hits and one run in seven innings. Reliever Ken Howell retired all six Reds he faced to assure Hershiser of a third straight win and an 11th victory of the season in 18 decisions.

This has been a season of extremes for the Dodgers--a lot of the time, extremely bad. But after their exhumation from last place in the National League West a week ago at Chicago, the Dodgers have not lost since and are at .500 (52-52) for the first time since mid-June.

They swept San Francisco last week and then did the same to Cincinnati over the weekend. It’s the first time the Dodgers have had consecutive three-game sweeps since August of 1983.

All that will probably be quickly forgotten unless the Dodgers continue to play this well when they begin a three-game series today (5 p.m.) against the first-place Houston Astros. The Astros lost Sunday at San Diego and had their lead in the West reduced to 6 1/2 games over the third-place Dodgers, though it remained four over second-place San Francisco.

“I don’t think this is do or die,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said of the Astro series. “But we can gain some ground on them. We just hope we can continue to play good ball, that’s all.”

But Hershiser, who pointed out that the Dodgers play seven of their next 11 games against Houston, saw it differently.

“It’s really important for us to beat the Astros,” the pitcher said. “Maybe win five of the seven and we’ll be all right. You could say our season comes down to those seven games.”

That may be over-dramatizing things a tad, but the Dodgers certainly seem to be taking it seriously. Pedro Guerrero has indicated he feels fit enough to make his first start of the season tonight, and Mike Marshall (stiff lower back) was reactivated after Sunday’s game.

“If (Guerrero) comes to me and says he wants to play, I’ll let him play,” said Lasorda, who has used Guerrero twice as a pinch-hitter since Guerrero was activated last Wednesday. “If (Marshall) says he wants to play, we’ll put him in as well. I mean, you’re talking about guys who (combined) hit 62 home runs last season.”

The Dodger offense could have used a little power Sunday against Red starter Bill Gullickson (7-7), who in pitching a complete game limited them to four hits and one earned run. But it was Gullickson’s sloppy fielding that led to the unearned--and game-winning--run in the sixth inning.

Hershiser, having gained confidence after squeezing in Mariano Duncan from third base in the third inning, began the Dodger sixth with a bunt on the third-base side that Gullickson couldn’t handle and drew an error on. Steve Sax sacrificed Hershiser to second with a bunt, and, one out later, Madlock lined a single to left to score Hershiser.

The Dodgers’ first run also resulted from well-executed bunts. Duncan began the rally by reaching first on a drag-bunt single. He stole second, went to third on Reggie Williams’ sacrifice bunt and then scored on Hershiser’s squeeze. After the Dodgers’ two earlier bunts that inning, the Reds probably had a clue as to what was coming. With the count 0 and 2 on Hershiser, the Reds called for a pitchout, expecting a squeeze play, but Duncan wasn’t coming from third. However, Duncan did come on the next pitch, a high, inside curve that Hershiser somehow managed to lay down on the first-base side.

“I don’t know how the hell (Hershiser) bunted that ball,” said Pete Rose, the Reds’ player-manager.

Hershiser isn’t quite sure, either. Basically, it was either make contact or get hit in the face with the pitch.

“I was just trying to bunt it anywhere, even straight back to the mound,” Hershiser said. “I just wanted it out of my face. I came up to the plate the next time, and (Red catcher Sal) Butera asked me how I could possibly bunt that.”

Hershiser will take the run batted in, no matter if it was lucky. He also felt he should have been credited with a hit on his sixth-inning bunt, even though Gullickson clearly bobbled it.

The only run Cincinnati scored came in the second inning when Butera singled in the speedy Eric Davis from third.

Hershiser, coming off a complete-game three-hitter last Monday against San Francisco, could not make it past the seventh Sunday. He said he knew he wasn’t going to go the distance soon after he scored the game-winning run.

“After I scored on (Madlock’s sixth-inning) hit, I was getting those chest pains from the smog,” Hershiser said. “I tapped Perry (pitching Coach Ron Perranoski) on the shoulder and said, ‘One more inning.’ ”

Hershiser made it out of the seventh inning with no problem and let Howell record his seventh save in his last 11th appearance. Howell struck out four of the six batters he faced.

“We’ve been playing close games, but now we’re getting the good pitching and that keeps us in it,” Madlock said. “Our starters are going six or seven good innings and that leaves us in good shape. All we have to do is get some runs.”

Dodger pitchers have held opponents to two runs or less in five of the last six games. So, even though the offense fades in and out like poor radio reception, the Dodger pitching has enabled the team to win 11 of its last 13 games and 17 of its last 24.

Said Hershiser: “I think the key to our win streak is that we have at least one of those things (offense, defense or pitching) working for us every day.

“In games like today, we’ll do whatever it takes to win. If we can continue to score runs and our pitching stays the way it is, we’ll be right there. The frustration is starting to leave the locker room.”