Dodgers Overcome the Mets, 8-6 : But There’s No Relief From Club’s Bullpen Problems

This lengthy Dodger trip, which had all the aesthetic value of a wreck on the highway for the first six games, was hastily gussied up and made to look somewhat more presentable over the weekend here.

After an 8-6 win over the New York Mets Sunday afternoon, made possible by an unexpected offensive windfall and somehow maintained despite shaky relief pitching, the Dodgers returned to Los Angeles winners of two straight and looking pretty good--superficially, at least.

Look closely, though, and you can see that the Dodgers still haven’t shaken the wide-range of problems that have dogged them since opening day.

Controversy cropped up again Sunday when veteran third baseman Bill Madlock, recently benched, demanded to be traded. Mix that in with another installment of thrill-packed pitching from the sweaty-palms bullpen and the usual defensive adventures, and you have just another day of Dodger baseball.

The strong finish to their Eastern trip somewhat dims the gruesome memory of six straight road losses that encapsulated every element of bad baseball imaginable.

Given the many things that have gone wrong on the road to anyone connected with the club, it was fitting, perhaps, that the Shea Stadium elevator broke down afterward, stranding reporters and Dodger personnel between floors for 20 minutes.

Once reporters finally arrived in the clubhouse, the Dodgers were asked to account for themselves on this trip. They simply forgot about the bad elements the trip, as a whole, and Sunday’s game, in particular.

“I hope these two wins (Saturday and Sunday) will turn us around again,” Manager Tom Lasorda said. After taking an 8-3 lead into the eighth inning, Lasorda was forced to turn to his bullpen. That’s always a risky proposition, especially if you combine it with the lethal Dodger defense.

But starter Orel Hershiser had given up a leadoff double to Mookie Wilson in the eighth and appeared to be tiring. With three left-handed batters coming up, Lasorda opted to bring Brad Havens, the newly acquired left-handed reliever who carried a 6.03 minor-league earned-run average into his first Dodger appearance.

After walking Lenny Dykstra, Havens settled down and relied on an effective slow curve to strike out pinch-hitter Tim Teufel. He then struck out Keith Hernandez and ended the Met threat by getting pinch-hitter Lee Mazzilli to fly to center.

As is often the case with Dodger relievers, they waited until the ninth inning to unravel. Havens hung himself by hanging several of those slow curves for a walk and three hits that translated into three Met runs.

“Yes, I got scared,” Lasorda said. “But let me tell you something about Brad Havens . . . he had to be nervous, pitching for the Dodgers for the first time, but he showed something striking out those guys (in the eighth). The next inning, he hung some curve balls, but I like the guy.”

Suddenly, the seemingly safe Dodger lead had dwindled to two runs. With Dykstra on second after a two-run double off Havens that center fielder John Shelby badly misplayed, Lasorda brought in Ken Howell--his top right-handed reliever now that Tom Niedenfuer has been to Baltimore for Shelby and Havens.

Howell walked Teufel to bring up Hernandez, the potential winning run. Lasorda countered by bringing in left-hander Matt Young, who pitched both Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

Young, who said later he did not feel fresh, worked the count to 2 and 2 and struck out Hernandez on a hard slider in the dirt.

With the Dodgers holding an 8-3 lead going into ninth inning, Young said he figured to have a day off.

Said Young: “When Brad walked the first guy (Gary Carter), I walked up to Beach (bullpen Coach Mark Cresse) and said, ‘You wouldn’t think they’d use me, would you?’ He said, ‘No, not unless they score a couple runs.’ About three seconds later the phone rings and I’m up.”

Another frantic bullpen finish overshadowed one of the best Dodger offensive performances of the season. The eight runs the Dodgers scored was the most since April 29, when they beat Pittsburgh, 10-2.

The Dodgers pounded starter Sid Fernandez and four other Met pitchers for 16 hits. Pinch-hitter Ralph Bryant delivered a two-run home run off Roger McDowell to highlight a three-run eighth inning that made it, 8-3, and gave the Dodgers extra runs that they wound up needing.

Shelby had three hits and two RBIs, Mickey Hatcher two doubles, Mariano Duncan his first RBI since May 12 and Tracy Woodson two singles. Pedro Guerrero, the hottest Dodger hitter, cooled a bit. Guerrero had a run-scoring fly ball and a single.