Dodgers Do Get One Record in ’86 : Tuesday’s Loss to Padres Ties Team Mark for Road Defeats

The year was 1909. The Brooklyn Dodgers finished in sixth place, 55 1/2 games behind Pittsburgh. Harry Lumley was the manager--for just that one year. And the Dodgers lost 53 games on the road.

That was the most losses on the road for any Dodger club until the 1986 team tied the mark Tuesday night at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium.

The Padres scored four runs in the eighth to break a tie and defeat the Dodgers, 11-8, in a game that took 3 hours 9 minutes. The Dodgers are 27-53 on the road, the worst in the National League.

In Tuesday night’s game, played in front of 9,455 fans, the Dodgers led, 6-3, going into the sixth.

Ralph Bryant had hit a three-run homer over the left-field fence in the Dodgers’ four-run third, but Rick Honeycutt and Joe Beckwith (three runs on three hits in one-third of an inning) gave up four runs in the sixth as the Padres took the lead.

Jeff Hamilton tied the game in the eighth with a solo two-out homer to left off LaMarr Hoyt, but the Padres then scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth off reliever Ken Howell.

With Atlanta’s win over Cincinnati Tuesday, the Padres and Dodgers are once again tied for last place in the National League West.

The most interesting sidelight of the game involved Steve Sax and Tony Gwynn, who are still in contention for the league batting title.

At Montreal, Expo outfielder Tim Raines, who appeared to be running away with the title, went 0 for 3 against the Mets Tuesday to lower his league-leading average to .335.

Sax, meanwhile, raised his average to .331 by going 3 for 5, including a double and a triple. Sax, who went 0 for 7 in the Dodgers’ 16-inning loss to the Giants on Sunday, has been on a tear in San Diego. He is 5 for 7 with two walks in the two games against the Padres.

Gwynn, who returned to the lineup after a self-imposed one-game rest because he was tired, dropped to .328 after going 1 for 4 with an intentional walk.

The Padre right fielder had played 134 consecutive games before Monday night. After Sunday’s game, he said he was going to sit out at least two games. In relinquishing the top spot to Raines, Gwynn had gone 7 for his last 33 through Sunday’s game.

Before Monday night’s game, Gwynn sat in the dugout talking. And talking and talking. He did anything and everything to take his mind off picking up a bat.

Then, with about 10 minutes left in batting practice, Padre second baseman Bip Roberts asked Gwynn to hit with him. Hitting by himself was getting lonely, Roberts said.

So Tony hit a few. And a few more.

But during the game, he sat and sat.

“I sat there talking hitting with Deacon (Jones) all night long,” Gwynn said. “I rather enjoyed it, but I was itching to get back about the fifth inning.”

He came to the ballpark Tuesday. After taking extra batting practice, he asked to be put into the starting lineup.

By the end of Tuesday’s game, Sax and Gwynn were tied for the NL lead in hits with 205.

Both players have four games in which to try to catch Raines.