Giants Win, 4-3, Chase Hershiser

Attempts to revive the dormant Dodger-Giant rivalry reached extraordinary levels Monday night when oddities such as derogatory linguine ads and gripes about Candlestick Park’s colorful scoreboard spiced things up considerably.

The game itself, which also included a brief dispute about apparent brush-back pitches that never really heated up, certainly was reminiscent of past battles.

Fittingly, then, the Giants and the Dodgers went at each other all night, San Francisco eventually taking a 4-3 decision before 27,656 fans, who enjoyed an unseasonably tolerable evening on the Bay almost as much as taunting Dodger players.

Orel Hershiser, the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, got things going early not only by giving up a run in the first inning but also complaining during his first at-bat in the third that the bright JumboTron scoreboard flashing his image in center field was distracting him.

That caused a delay, which riled the fans and, to a lesser degree, the Giants.

The Giants, led by the unlikely duo of Mike Aldrete and Chris Speier, scored three more runs off Hershiser in the next four innings to take a 4-1 lead.

But the Dodgers were still to be heard from. Through seven innings, they had scored just one run off eventual winner Mark Davis. But they got two runs in the eighth inning on Mike Marshall’s double to left off reliever Scott Garrelts.

Garrelts worked out of a jam in the ninth inning, forcing slumping Steve Sax to ground out with two out and a runner on second, to preserve the win for Davis, now 2-0 for the season. Both of Davis’ wins came against the Dodgers.

Maybe Sax was distracted by the scoreboard, though it was unlikely since that mini-controversy was put to rest in the early innings.

Hershiser complained to umpire Dave Pallone about the flashing scoreboard, and Pallone asked Giant management to turn it off. A compromise was reached when the Giants decided to keep a single, dark-colored image on the board.

“The pictures flashing of the players was too bright,” Hershiser said. “It was distracting.”

Unusual things happened even before the first pitch was thrown.

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda took exception to an advertisement in local newspapers that spoofed Lasorda’s affinity for pasta. Trying to lure subscriptions to the Giants’ pay-TV service, the ads urged fans to catch “Lasorda and his meatballs” the next three nights.

“I didn’t particularly like it,” Lasorda said before the game. “You’d think they’d advertise something more positive. Al Rosen (Giant general manager) called me today and apologized.”

That beef probably was forgotten by game time, but there were others to follow. There was an exchange of subtle brush-back pitches early in the game, resulting in one hit batter on each side, and when Davis threw inside to Hershiser in the seventh, Pallone walked to both benches and warned the teams about extending it further.

Hershiser’s complaint about the JumboTron reflection could not have affected his pitching, since he had his back to the scoreboard all night.

Working on only three days rest because of Alejandro Pena’s bout with the chicken pox, Hershiser made more bad pitches than usual. That, combined with a few lucky bounces, resulted in his first loss of the season. Hershiser allowed 4 runs and 12 hits in 6 innings before being replaced by Tom Niedenfuer.

“He pitched good,” Lasorda said. “He lost his location a few times and made bad pitches, no question about that. They scored that one run (in the fourth inning) when (Candy) Maldonado gets on with that high hopper and then scores.”

Despite his off night, Hershiser kept the Dodgers close until he surrendered a seventh-inning solo home run to the light-hitting Speier, who had hit only 98 home runs in 16 major league seasons.

“I made a bad pitch to Speier,” Hershiser said. “I made a few bad pitches, but I thought I threw the ball well (overall). They hit me hard, but it was all in a row. That was the problem.”

Lasorda found it hard to believe that Speier, whose last home run as a Giant came in 1976, could take Hershiser deeper than the back edge of the infield.

“Speier,” a surprised Lasorda said. “How many home runs does he hit?”

Speier’s rare blast made it, 3-1, Giants, and one out later, Mark Davis and Aldrete hit consecutive singles to center, Aldrete’s hit being his fourth of the night.

On came Niedenfuer, who forced Chili Davis to fly to center. Mike Ramsey’s throw to the plate might have caught a Mark Davis, tagging from third, but Scioscia bobbled the ball.

The Dodger offense managed only six hits off Davis and Garrelts. Other than Marshall’s two-run RBI double in the eighth, the only other run came in the fourth when Pedro Guerrero tripled to left and gingerly slid into third base, a rare sight. After Marshall was hit in the back by a pitch, Mickey Hatcher lined out to right field, Guerrero tagging from third and beating Maldonado’s throw without having to slide.

“We had chances to win the game,” Scioscia said. “It seems like it always happens to us that way. We just didn’t play a good ball game. That’s all it comes down to.”

Dodger Notes The muscle on Rick Honeycutt’s right side still is sore, so the Dodgers are giving tonight’s starting pitching assignment to Tim Leary. Honeycutt says he will be available for bullpen work tonight, if needed. But Manager Tom Lasorda said he wants Honeycutt to rest in hopes of perhaps coming back and pitching Friday against San Diego at Dodger Stadium. Said Honeycutt: “The plan right now is to have Tim start and ,if the situation comes up, have me throw out of the bullpen. I would be used only an inning, and it might give me a better indicator of how I feel than if I start. The only way I can tell whether I feel better is to try pitching.” Honeycutt threw last Thursday in San Diego but has spent the rest of his time taking treatments and doing exercises. . . . It will be Leary’s first start as a Dodger. He has been used only five innings as a reliever, giving up three runs, but he turned in one scoreless inning of relief Saturday against the Padres. “I feel good,” Leary said. “It’s not the easiest job in the world (being a long reliever). But I felt good the other day in San Diego. I’m looking forward to this start.” . . . Lasorda is worried that Honeycutt’s injury might turn out to be more debilitating than originally thought. “George Brett did the same thing, and they are predicting he’ll be out three to four weeks,” Lasorda said. “So, who knows?” . . . Mariano Duncan said his left elbow, which was hit by a pitch Sunday in San Diego, is still sore. He was in the lineup, anyway, on Monday. . . . Giants Manager Roger Craig on Kelly Downs, tonight’s starter: “Kelly Downs is one of those pitchers who makes everything look so easy. He’s like a golfer who has an easy swing but hits the ball 300 yards. He looks like he’s just playing catch, but you look up and it’s 93 or 94 miles per hour.”