Dodgers Hit Rut of Road and Fall, 3-1

If this is the way the Dodgers intend to play out what is left of the season, maybe it’s fortunate that they play 13 of their remaining 18 games on the road.

Tuesday night’s 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves in the opener of an eight-game trip wasn’t a particularly poor showing by the Dodgers. It was just typical of all that’s gone wrong.

By now, you can almost imagine the scenario of the Dodgers’ 44th loss in 68 road games: They score a run in the early going and then waste a solid pitching effort by leaving runners on base.

This time, the Dodgers gave Orel Hershiser a 1-0 lead in the first inning before being subdued by Brave starter Doyle Alexander (5-5) and reliever Gene Garber, who earned his 23rd save by pitching two scoreless innings.

Atlanta didn’t exactly belt around Hershiser (13-12), who, despite a six-hit effort, lost for the fifth time in his last seven starts.

The least auspicious Brave hit turned out to be enough to break a 1-1 tie and make Hershiser a loser on his 28th birthday. With the bases loaded and two out in the seventh inning, pinch-batter Gerald Perry hit a bouncer to shortstop Dave Anderson that figured to end Atlanta’s threat.

But the ball hit what Hershiser later called a “crater” in the infield and sailed over Anderson’s glove into left field. Two runs scored and, two innings later, the Dodgers had lost their fourth straight.

While Anderson and other Dodgers duly lamented the bad-luck, bad-hop single, Brave Manager Chuck Tanner was crediting Atlanta Falcon football lineman Bill Fralic for making the win possible.

How so?

Well, Tanner claims that Fralic, who played his college ball at Pittsburgh, made a well-placed divot in the Fulton County Stadium infield during a Falcon game two weeks ago. The area where Perry’s grounder bounced just so happens to be in the area where the Falcon bench is when the field is converted for football.

“He (Fralic) is a Pittsburgh guy (as is Tanner), so maybe he was trying to help out,” Tanner said, jokingly.

There was no joking among the Dodgers. The rutty infield seemed to be just another mishap that has befallen the Dodgers this season. It’s as if they almost expect something like that to happen.

“That’s the way it’s been going,” Anderson said. “If you look back at the game, it was decided by that bad-bounce play. But really we lost because we left all those guys on. That’s really frustrating. I don’t know how many times we’ve lost 3-1 games like this.”

Most often, it happens on the road. But after Bill Madlock doubled in Ralph Bryant in the first inning for a 1-0 lead, the Dodgers no doubt were hoping Tuesday night would be different.

However, they proceeded to leave six runners on base, snuffing out three serious rallies. Steve Sax, who went 2 for 4 to raise his average to .329, was left at third base in the third inning. Anderson was left at third in the fifth, and Madlock was thrown out at home plate by Brave rookie right fielder Albert Hall in the sixth.

“There are the answers to all the questions (about the game),” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said. “We had chances to score and didn’t.”

Considerable credit must go to Alexander, a 16-year veteran, who worked his way out of difficulty each time by using his recently developed knuckleball.

The Braves, who have been struggling offensively even more than the Dodgers, left seven on base. But they tied the score in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Bob Horner, and three innings later, Perry, just recalled from the minor leagues, put his ground ball in just the right spot.

Said Hershiser of the bad bounce: “I guess you can’t wait until the Falcons get a new field. . . . I got a bad break on that one. Even though it was a bad pitch (a high curve with a 1-and-2 count), he hit it on the ground and then it took the bounce.”

One batter before Perry, Hershiser made an excellent fielding play to prevent a run in the bases-loaded situation. Ted Simmons, hitting for Alexander, hit a bouncer in front of the plate, and Hershiser scooped the ball into his glove and shoveled it to catcher Mike Scioscia for the force at the plate.

“That (play) didn’t turn out to mean anything,” Hershiser said. “I made the do or die play (on Simmons’ hit), but the routine play (Perry’s bad-hop grounder) becomes the game-winning hit.

“That’s the difference in a good and bad year, I guess.”

Dodger Notes

Steve Sax’s .329 average is tied for second in the National League with Montreal’s Tim Raines. San Diego’s Tony Gwynn leads at .332. . . . Injury report: Mike Marshall reportedly was going to take some batting practice before Tuesday night’s game to test his sore back, but he did not. Marshall says he doesn’t know if he will be back during the trip, which ends Sept. 23 in Houston. “It depends on how I feel,” he said. . . . Meanwhile, shortstop Mariano Duncan, on the disabled list since Aug. 19 with a broken bone in his left foot, had the cast removed Tuesday and will be reactivated today. Don’t look for Duncan to be back in the lineup for a while, though. . . . Fernando Valenzuela (19-9) tries for his 20th win tonight against Atlanta’s David Palmer (11-9). Valenzuela has failed to win 20 games in any of his five previous big league seasons.