Welch, Dodgers Hold Off Cubs

The possibility of another shutout by Bob Welch was suddenly gone and, just as suddenly, even a Dodger victory over the Chicago Cubs was in jeopardy in the eighth inning here Tuesday.

With Welch and the Dodgers nursing a tenuous two-run advantage in a ballpark where no lead is safe, ominous Andre Dawson stood at the plate with two out, two runners on.

What Welch had to do was retire a guy who recently has hit as well as Welch has pitched, which is saying a lot. Dawson, who has hit 9 home runs and driven in 25 runs this season, was batting .312 and was looking for his second hit of the game. He had two hits against the Dodgers Monday, one a double and the other a game-winning bloop single.

But Welch, whose string of scoreless innings had just ended at 23, made the task look easy. He got Dawson to pop the first pitch to first base, ending the Cubs’ eighth-inning threat.

Still, the Dodgers’ 3-1 win before 18,021 at Wrigley Field was not complete until Welch had endured more anxious moments in the ninth, when the Cubs had runners on first and second with no outs.

That late challenge proved no stronger than the first, however, thanks to Welch’s ingenuity and Cub Manager Gene Michael’s lack thereof.

Keith Moreland, a .354 hitter against Welch, was called upon to bunt, and weakly popped the ball back to Welch. Given that boost, Welch got Shawon Dunston on a groundout and Dave Martinez on a fly to left.

The win pushed the Dodgers’ record above .500 once again at 14-13. They won three of seven on their first Eastern trip, Welch pitching two of those victories.

Despite the late-inning dramatics, this one was another impressive outing for Welch, who is 4-1 and has the National League’s lowest earned-run average, 1.99.

“I feel I’m throwing the ball pretty well,” Welch said in customary understatement. “The only thing you’ve got to do is make good pitches in the right spots.”

Welch has done lots of that this season. His only poor outing was his first, when he gave up seven runs in 4 innings against the San Francisco Giants in the Dodgers’ home opener. In his next start, he allowed two runs in 7 innings against the Houston Astros, getting no decision.

Since then, though, Welch has been almost untouchable. He gave up only one earned run in eight innings in a win over San Diego, combined 16 scoreless innings in wins over the Padres and the Pittsburgh Pirates, then added to that string Tuesday. If you throw out his dismal first start, Welch’s ERA is 0.68. Before Cub pinch-hitter Jerry Mumphrey singled home Dunston in the eighth inning Tuesday, Welch had gone 34 innings without giving up an earned run.

“Welchy has been pitching so good lately, but this was the finest game I’ve ever seen him pitch,” Bill Madlock, the Dodger third baseman, said. “Dawson’s been hot, but Welch came right after him. We figured the law of averages would catch up to Dawson and we’d get him out. But Welch had his best stuff, too.”

Madlock, who returned to the lineup after having missed 25 starts with a shoulder injury, gave the Dodgers their regular lineup for the first time since the 1985 National League playoffs and an offensive boost to Welch.

Madlock opened the eighth inning with a home run off Cub starter Jamie Moyer that carried into the street beyond the left-field bleachers, giving the Dodgers their second run. It was the first home run allowed by a Cub pitcher in 57 innings.

Later in the inning, Franklin Stubbs singled in Pedro Guerrero to make it 3-0.

The Dodgers had scored their first run in the third, when Mariano Duncan singled in Mike Ramsey from second. For a long stretch, that one-run lead was all Welch had to work with.

“In my last three starts, they’ve gotten me enough runs to work with,” Welch said of Dodger hitters. “That way, you don’t have to press. Those last two runs today were big runs, especially in this park.

“It’s great to have our (regular) lineup out there because I know they can score runs. I’m going to see runs no matter what every time I pitch.”

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said he had had complete faith that Welch would pitch out of the eighth- and ninth-inning predicaments, although he did admit to being a little concerned when he saw Dawson wielding a bat with runners in scoring position.

“To be very honest, any time Dawson comes up . . . I’m always worried about him,” Lasorda said. “But you think that he doesn’t figure to keep up that hot hitting.”

On the other hand, though, Lasorda said that Welch would continue to pitch as he has in his last four starts.

“I’ve always felt Bobby’s had the chance to win 20 (games),” he said. “Something has always stopped him--his sore arm or the injuries. But you look at this guy’s career, and he’s been a hell of a pitcher.”

Dodger Notes Bill Madlock said it was important that the Dodgers won Tuesday’s game simply because it was the last game of the trip. “It’s a lot easier to travel with Tommy (Lasorda) on a get-away day when we win,” Madlock said with a laugh. “If we’re going to win any game, it should be a get-away game.” . . . The Dodgers announced that pitcher Balvino Galvez, who had a very brief major league fling last season, had been traded to the Detroit Tigers for catcher Orlando Mercado. Mercado will be sent to the Dodgers’ Triple-A team in Albuquerque. Galvez will get a promotion. He had been pitching for the Dodgers’ Class-A team in Vero Beach but will move up to Detroit’s Double-A team in Glens Falls, N.Y.