Dodgers, Guerrero, Even Fernando Fail as Reds Win Again

Tom Lasorda calls Pedro Guerrero his wild card.

For now, however, Guerrero remains a joker in the Dodgers’ rapidly collapsing house of cards.

Lasorda, betting it all Saturday when he sent Guerrero to bat for Greg Brock with two out in the eighth inning, the bases loaded and the Dodgers three runs down, watched the Cincinnati Reds claim the pot, 6-2, before a crowd of 30,835 at Riverfront Stadium.

Guerrero, who struck out on three pitches against Red reliever John Franco in a bases-loaded situation a week earlier in Los Angeles, this time turned away on Franco’s first pitch, an outside fastball, then feebly popped to second baseman Ron Oester. That ended the Dodgers’ last threat on an afternoon when their 10 hits produced just two runs and pitcher Fernando Valenzuela’s five-game winning streak came to an end.

The Reds, in last place in the National League West when the Dodgers arrived, could move into a virtual third-place tie with the Dodgers by beating Dennis Powell this afternoon, completing a four-game sweep.

The Dodgers fell eight games behind the division-leading Houston Astros, who beat the San Diego Padres, 6-2, Saturday night.

The line on Guerrero, meanwhile, reads: seven at-bats, no hits, four strikeouts and one ball hit out of the infield--that being an opposite-field fly to right field in his first at-bat--since being reactivated after a spring-training injury to his left knee.

Batting average: .000.

Still, Lasorda maintained that Guerrero was the right man for the moment, even though the manager still had Bill Russell, who was batting .368 as a pinch-hitter, on the bench.

“When I put him up there, I knew he can’t run, but I don’t know if he can’t hit,” Lasorda said of Guerrero. “If I know he can’t run and he can’t hit, would I put him up there?

” . . . If I didn’t see Pete hit in batting practice, then it’s a different story. With two outs, he don’t have to run. All he has to do is touch first base.

“Number One, Franco’s thinking he might hit the ball out of the ballpark, too. Ask Franco who he’d rather pitch to in that situation. That’s a good question to ask him. Then you’ve got your answer.”

In the Red clubhouse, Lasorda’s question was relayed to Franco, a reliever who has 18 saves, one less than the entire Dodger bullpen.

Franco’s preference?

“Pete,” the left-hander said, “then Russell.

“He (Guerrero) hasn’t been around long--his swing’s not the same. Russell’s a contact hitter, a clutch hitter. I was kind of surprised to see Guerrero come up there. . . .

“I can see what Tommy’s saying. Guerrero was 0 for 6, but one swing and he’s 1 for 7 with a home run. A contact hitter gets only two runs in.

“It’s a matter of timing. The more he plays, the more he’ll get his swing back. But a lot of guys in here don’t think he’s ready.

“I don’t want to see him get hurt again. If I were him, I’d take the rest of the year off and concentrate on next year.”

Dodger officials have insisted they wouldn’t allow Guerrero to play if there were a risk of reinjuring himself. Red veteran first baseman Tony Perez, however, is among those who are skeptical.

“He still doesn’t look good,” Perez said. “I don’t know why they are taking a risk. Give him time to heal.”

Even before Guerrero, the Dodgers were hurt when their leading batter, Steve Sax, hit into a first-pitch double play with runners on first and third in the seventh inning, and when their leading run producer, Mike Marshall, went hitless in four trips after striking out six times in two games the night before.

Marshall is batting .048 (2 for 42) since the Fourth of July, a span in which he played with a bad back and then went on the disabled list because of it. He has said he’s 100%, but that declaration may belong in the same category with those made by Valenzuela, who never says he’s hurt.

In the fifth inning Saturday, trainer Charlie Strasser, pitching coach Ron Perranoski and catcher Mike Scioscia gathered around Valenzuela when he returned to the dugout after nearly beating out a ground ball to the hole at short.

Valenzuela said he felt a twinge in his right hamstring, but he decided to continue. He refused to use the leg as an excuse for Buddy Bell’s two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth or for two more Cincinnati runs in the sixth.

“I don’t throw with my leg,” said Valenzuela, whose record is 15-7.

Of course, Valenzuela is the same pitcher who refused to admit he had a sore left ankle last season when he went the last six weeks with just one win.

“We beat maybe the best pitcher in the league today,” said Pete Rose, whose Reds seem to be rallying with Rose acting almost solely in the role of manager instead of playing, too.

Rose also said he saw signs that Guerrero and Marshall would soon begin hitting again.

“I hope they come around,” Rose said, “Monday night in Houston.”

Dodger Notes Dodger pitching, which had allowed the second fewest home runs in the league, has given up six in three games here. In the fifth inning Saturday, Buddy Bell, who has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games, hit his ninth home run and the 1,000th home run by a Red here since Riverfront Stadium opened in 1970. In the eighth, Bo Diaz hit his sixth home run, and it came off reliever Joe Beckwith, who has given up three home runs in his first four appearances since rejoining the Dodgers. . . . Bill Madlock, who had two hits and scored a run, on Pedro Guerrero: “He’s afraid. The only pitch he can hit right now is the inside pitch. His swing is all hands right now. He doesn’t feel very comfortable up there, and he’s afraid of hurting himself again.” Batting instructor Ben Hines thought the word fear would be overstating Guerrero’s state of mind. “Maybe he’s a little unsure of himself,” Hines said, “and he’ll be unsure until he puts it (his left leg) to the test a lot.” . . . Manager Tom Lasorda, asked whether Guerrero can help the Dodgers now, said: “Do I think he can help us? If he can hit like he did last year, yeah. Up to now, he hasn’t. I was hoping he could hit one like he did in Pittsburgh last year (a home run on July 10, when Guerrero hit despite back spasms). It would have taken him all day to get around the bases.” Lasorda, asked whether it would be better for Guerrero to be playing on rehabilitation assignment in the minors, said: “If he can’t run here, he can’t run even if he’s playing on the beach in Hawaii.” . . . Red Manager Pete Rose, on the difference between hitting against batting-practice pitching and in a game: “About 30 miles (per hour).” . . . Red pitcher John Denny gave up two runs on seven hits in six innings to win for the ninth time against 10 losses. He also stole second after Rose pointed out that Dodger first baseman Greg Brock was playing behind Denny rather than holding him on. . . . Brock’s double off Red reliever Rob Murphy was only his third hit in 42 at-bats against left-handers this season. Brock was taken out for Guerrero on Brock’s next turn against another left-hander, John Franco. “Different kind of left-handers,” Lasorda said. “Murphy was throwing all fastballs. The other guy throws screwballs and sinkers.” . . . The sunglasses fad, started by Guerrero, appears to be spreading. Enos Cabell was sporting white-rimmed sunglasses in the dugout.