3-D VIEWING : Cubs’ Three Ds--Dawson, Durham, Davis--Add Dimension of Power to Team’s Attack

National League pitchers have been viewing the heart of the Chicago Cubs’ lineup in 3-D this season.

It may not quite be the answer to the New York Yankees’ M&M; boys of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in the 1960s, but the Cubs have their own arsenal with the three Ds--Andre Dawson, Leon Durham and Jody Davis.

The picture was completed in spring training when Dawson signed as a free agent and was inserted in the No. 3 spot in the batting order. Durham, who batted anywhere from third to seventh last year, is now set in the cleanup spot. Davis moved up a spot to fifth when third baseman Keith Moreland began slowly.

The result has been like a Batman comic: “Bang, zoom, pow.”

“It’s kinda’ nice having this kind of lineup where you know anyone is capable of hitting it out of the park,” Davis says. “You also know that not every time you’re up do you need to try to hit one out because you know the other guy is going to pick you up.”

Says Durham: “Just having a guy like Andre around makes you want to reach your potential. I have an idea what I’m doing at the plate now.”

Manager Gene Michael concedes Dawson has been a spark for his team’s surprising start. But he says the mechanism whereby one player ignites another could be overplayed.

“Dawson doesn’t help Jody or Leon swing the bat,” Michael says. “The thing that is true and is more important is that when a pitcher looks at our lineup, they know they can’t pitch around a Dawson to get to Durham or pitch around Durham to get to Davis. It can’t be done.”

Through May 18, the Cubs had hit 53 home runs--a pace that would see them hit about 225 homers, well above the team record of 183. The three are on a pace in which each would hit more than 40 homers.

The only time that has been done was in 1973 by Atlanta’s Hank Aaron, Darrell Evans and Dave Johnson.

Dawson and Durham have been second and third in the league in homers behind Cincinnati’s Eric Davis for most of May. Dawson had 12, Durham 10 and Jody Davis 8.

Some argue that a livelier ball has been partly responsible for the increase in homers across the league. But there is little question the Cubs’ fast start is directly tied to the 3-D men.

The Cubs posted one of the best road records in the majors through the first six weeks. When they won their 11th road game May 11, they were seven weeks ahead of last year’s pace.

Dawson, Durham and Davis actually were hitting better on the road than at home, where Wrigley Field has always accommodated hitters.

“This team has always had good hitters,” says Dawson, who previously played at Montreal. “Guys like Ryne Sandberg, Leon Durham, Jody Davis, Keith Moreland. You know that coming up you’re going to have a chance to knock in some runs. I’m not as concerned about hitting home runs as I am about the RBI. And, of course, winning.”

Dawson’s best power year was in 1983 when he hit 32 homers and drove in 113 runs with a .299 average. His lifetime average at Wrigley Field is about 25 points higher. He also says playing on grass can extend his career several years.

Durham, who has never quite lived up to his billing in six seasons with the Cubs, seems to have benefitted most from the addition of Dawson.

“I was ready to have a good year,” Durham says. “I’m comfortable hitting fourth. It’s the cleanup spot and it’s where I want to be. With the ‘Hawk’ (Dawson’s nickname) and Ryne hitting in front of me, I know there are going to be plenty of opportunities to drive in some runs.”

Durham had 23 homers and 96 runs-batted in in 1984 when the Cubs won the NL East. Davis’s best season was in 1983 when he belted 24 homers and drove in 84 runs. Both are on course for better years.

“We’re going to score a lot of runs,” Michael says. “Even when our hitting didn’t particularly get off to a good start this year I knew it was going to come around. The good thing is the way we’ve been able to hit on the road. You know the hits and home runs are going to come in the warmer months in Wrigley Field.”