Shane Gets Draw on Slow-Firing Dodgers : Timely Errors and Untimely Hitting Cost L.A. Another Game, 3-1

Another afternoon’s offensive slumber, combined with a few seemingly obligatory defensive blunders, did in those maddeningly predictable Dodgers again Sunday.

This destructive pattern, which manifested itself this time in a 3-1 Dodger loss to the Philadelphia Phillies before 39,204 fans at Dodger Stadium, is starting to concern even eternally optimistic Manager Tom Lasorda.

“I have no explanation,” a somber Lasorda said afterward. “It’s just the fact that something happens to us and we don’t hit and we don’t play. I wish I knew what it was.”

One day after being shut out by the Phillies’ Kevin Gross, the Dodgers fared only a little better against Shane Rawley, who gave up a solo home run to John Shelby in the first inning but then combined with reliever Steve Bedrosian to shut out the Dodgers the rest of the way.

Except for Pedro Guerrero, who had two singles to raise his average to .361, Dodger hitters only produced Shelby’s home run and three other singles. Only twice did the Dodgers advance a runner to second base, and one of those came on a Phillie double-play attempt gone awry.

Obviously, the anonymous clubhouse graffiti artist who scrawled “The Boys Of Lumber” on a chalkboard either was being sarcastic or trying to employ the power of suggestion to turn around a desperate situation. The message might have been more accurate Sunday had someone added a letter and made it slumber .

A frustrated Guerrero, second in the National League batting race behind San Francisco’s Jeff Leonard who is at .364, said he would willingly spread around his hits to teammates if he could.

But the Dodgers’ team batting average stands at .252, and is dropping fast. Not coincidentally, the Dodgers (23-26) have dropped 11 of their last 15 games but still are only five games behind leader Cincinnati.

“We’re losing, and it bothers me,” Guerrero said. “The way I’m swinging the bat, we’re still losing games. For the first time in my life, I’m leading the league in hitting (entering Sunday’s games), but right now I wish I was hitting only .320 and we were in first place.

“It seems like nothing really works for us now. I think (starter Rick) Honeycutt pitched a good game, like Orel (Hershiser) did (Saturday), but we can’t get the hits when we need it.”

As it stands now, the Dodger defense is much more exciting and less predictable, and it was partly responsible for Honeycutt’s latest loss.

Honeycutt, whose 1.82 earned-run average remains best in the National League, gave up a third-inning home run to Rick Schu and a single run in the fourth before leaving after the seventh inning with a 2-1 deficit.

Victimized by five unearned runs last week in a loss at Philadelphia, Honeycutt (2-4) again wasn’t given much defensive or offensive support.

Sunday’s designated defensive bungler was third baseman Jeff Hamilton, making his first start since being recalled from Albuquerque in place of Tracy Woodson.

Hamilton, admittedly nervous, had a third-inning error that kept alive a Phillie rally that Honeycutt eventually thwarted. Schu hit a leadoff home run to left-field that negated Shelby’s first-inning home run.

The next inning, though, Hamilton was handcuffed on Glenn Wilson’s ground ball that was scored a single. Wilson later scored what proved to be the winning run after John Russell’s single, a walk to Schu and then Milt Thompson’s RBI ground ball.

Hamilton’s undistinguished 1987 debut rolled on--as did ground balls--even after Honeycutt departed. After Lance Parrish singled off reliever Brian Holton, Wilson bounced a ground ball near the line that Hamilton failed to backhand. The ball rolled behind third base, enabling Parrish to advance to third and Wilson to second.

Schu then brought home Parrish with a sacrifice fly to left, making it 3-1, Phillies.

Hamilton, who also struck out twice Sunday, was only a little daunted by his inauspicious debut. Usually a sound fielder, he made no excuses for his defensive problems.

“I’ve got to bounce back and do something tomorrow, and then everybody will forget about today,” Hamilton said. “I was a little nervous, but nothing compared to last year (when he made his major league debut). I had some tough balls (on defense). I struck out twice, but I didn’t think I swung badly.”

Compared to some of his teammates, no.

But even the hot-hitting Guerrero struggled at times at the plate Sunday. Guerrero was up in the third inning with Steve Sax on second and, with the count 3 and 0, flied to right field to end the inning. In the sixth, with Shelby on first after a leadoff walk and Phillies leading, 2-1, Guerrero struck out on three “home-run” swings.

If it looked as though Guerrero was trying to win the game by himself, it probably was because Guerrero said he was basically thinking the same thing. After all, who would provide the offense these days if not Guerrero?

“One thing I don’t want to do is put pressure on myself, like in ‘84, when I got the big contract,” Guerrero said. “Today, I got a chance to change the game, but I had to hit a home run to do it. That’s not easy.

“I know that when I hit home runs, I (usually) swing easy. But because we’re struggling, I try to hit it too far. I put too much pressure on myself. Had we been ahead, I probably would’ve hit a home run or something.”

Guerrero, like Lasorda, says he is concerned but not worried about the offensive drought.

“I’m not worried,” Guerrero said. “We still got a long way to go. There’s no way things can continue the way they have. Things got to change.”

Dodger Notes

Rick Honeycutt takes little consolation in having the National League’s best earned-run average (1.82) with a losing (2-4) record. “Yeah, it’s really frustrating,” Honeycutt said. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated. I thought I pitched pretty well. Any starting pitcher’s job is to keep the team in the ball game. If you do that, you’ll win more than you’ll lose.” Honeycutt, however, is the exception to that theory. Said Manager Tom Lasorda: “In order for (Honeycutt) to win today, he would have to shut them out. That’s pretty difficult to do.” Honeycutt developed a blister and an infection in the middle finger of his left (pitching) hand Sunday, but he said it is not a new condition. “It’s bothered me before,” Honeycutt said. . . . Lasorda on Jeff Hamilton’s bad day at third base: “I think he’s an outstanding defensive player,” Lasorda said. However, Lasorda is upset about the defensive misadventures, which have been particularly glaring over the weekend. “If you look at it, we’ve only given up three runs (without the defensive mistakes) the last two games and didn’t win,” he said. “As a rule, you got to figure to win if you do that.” . . . Reliever Brad Havens had another rough outing. Replacing Brian Holton in the eighth inning with runners on first and second, Havens ran the count to 0 and 2 on Milt Thompson. Then, Havens threw a wild pitch that advanced both runners. His next pitch tailed over Thompson’s head. Then, Lasorda ordered Thompson intentionally walked and brought in reliever Tim Leary.