Sax Helps Valenzuela Pick Up His 21st Victory : Dodger Second Baseman Goes 2 for 3 and Has a Shot at Batting Title in Finale

Steve Sax, who helped Fernando Valenzuela win his 21st game Saturday, doesn’t think about the batting title he might win for himself today.

And Ronald Reagan doesn’t think about Russia or Tom Lasorda about pasta.

“I don’t even think about it until you guys ask me,” said Sax, who singled twice, drove in one third-inning run and scored the other on Ralph Bryant’s base hit as the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants, 2-1, before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 24,466.

“Honest,” the Dodger second baseman said. “I don’t even talk about it at home. That’s true. My dogs don’t speak English.”

They don’t read the small print in the papers, either. If they did, they’d discover that Sax is batting .332 after going 2 for 3, not including a sacrifice bunt, and raising his average a point.

That put him two points behind the league leader, Tim Raines of Montreal (.334), who went 2 for 7 Saturday night after missing two games with a pulled chest muscle.

Tony Gwynn of San Diego had one hit in four trips Saturday and is batting .330.

“I really don’t know what to say,” Sax said. “I haven’t been in this position before.”

Bill Madlock, a four-time National League batting champion, has been in this position. On the last day of the 1976 season, Madlock, then playing for Chicago, went 4 for 4 to beat out Ken Griffey of Cincinnati, who went 0 for 2. Madlock wound up at .339, Griffey at .336.

“But I could hit, too,” Madlock said teasingly to Sax.

In a more serious vein, Madlock said: “But I didn’t have to face (Mike) Krukow. I was facing Steve Renko. Krukow (today’s Giant starter) is one of the best pitchers in baseball.”

Krukow also will be trying to join Valenzuela as the only National League pitchers to win 20 games this season. Krukow (19-9), who will be pitching with three days’ rest, has won at Dodger Stadium only once in his career, by a 4-1 score in the Dodgers’ 1985 home opener.

Sax is batting .310 (13 for 42) in his career against Krukow, .400 (4 for 10) this season.

Valenzuela pitched a five-hitter Saturday and would have had a shutout had Franklin Stubbs not dropped Bob Melvin’s two-out fly ball in the seventh. The error allowed ex-Dodger Candy Maldonado, who had doubled and taken third on a passed ball, to score.

With the tying run on second, Valenzuela struck out Randy Kutcher on three pitches, then closed out the Giants for his 20th complete game. That’s more complete games than the entire staffs of 13 big league teams.

Valenzuela’s 21 wins are the most by a Dodger pitcher since Don Sutton won that many in 1976. The left-hander had seven strikeouts, giving him 242 for the season, a career best.

“It’s my best season because it’s the first time I won 20,” said Valenzuela, who has 11 losses. “But I pitched the same way. I feel the same.”

With a win today, the Dodgers can avoid their first last-place finish since 1905. They’re half a game ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who are sending the losingest pitcher in the league, Rick Mahler (14-17), to the mound today against Houston.

NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING RACE

TIM RAINES, Montreal

Saturday Season AB R H G AB R H Avg 7 1 2 150 580 91 194 .334

STEVE SAX, Dodgers

Saturday Season AB R H G AB R H Avg 3 1 2 156 630 90 209 .332

TONY GWYNN, San Diego

Saturday Season AB R H G AB R H Avg 4 1 1 159 637 106 210 .330