New Lineup, Old Result as Dodgers Lose to Mets

Surely by now, you would think that Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda had exhausted every possible lineup combination because of injuries, or simply desperation. Creative maneuvering, after all, can only go so far.

But Monday night against the New York Mets, Lasorda shuffled his lineup card once more and devised his 95th lineup in 125 games.

This one featured newly acquired shortstop Glenn Hoffman as the leadoff hitter, Franklin Stubbs, just off the disabled list, in right field and Phil Garner in place of Steve Sax at second base. By the end of the night, Pedro Guerrero had reinjured his right thumb and a hobbled Mickey Hatcher was doing a Walter Brennan imitation at first base.

The result was predictable. The Mets handed the Dodgers’ their National League-leading 14th shutout, a 1-0 loss that marked the successful return of Rick Aguilera to New York’s pitching rotation.

Given the Dodgers’ impotent lineup, Aguilera’s first test after spending almost three months on the disabled list with a sprained ligament in his right elbow was more like an open-book quiz.

Aguilera gave up 4 hits and 1 walk over 7 innings and faced only one Dodger threat before letting Randy Myers and Roger McDowell finish up.

Meanwhile, this profound scoring drought claimed another victim on the Dodger pitching staff. Just as Bob Welch and Rick Honeycutt have had nearly flawless pitching efforts go unsupported, rookie right-hander Shawn Hillegas endured his first major league loss despite allowing only one run over seven innings.

The Mets scored the only run they needed in the fourth inning. Len Dykstra led off with the first hit off Welch, a double that glanced off third baseman Tracy Woodson’s glove and trickled into left field. After a sacrifice bunt, Keith Hernandez knocked in Dykstra with a single to left.

On this night, a 1-0 lead was insurmountable.

“We just aren’t getting them in,” Lasorda said. “But our guys battled them. They give you all they got.”

Problem is, the Dodgers (55-70) don’t have much. Those who have been hurt and choose to play, such as Guerrero and Hatcher, cannot put up much of a fight.

Guerrero went 0 for 2 before taking himself out with the sore thumb, which should not be confused with his sore left hip or his sprained left wrist or his stiff neck or his tender knees or . . .

“He’s just playing out there because he feels he has to because we got no one else,” Lasorda said. “You got to give Pete a lot of credit. You know that’s not the real Guerrero out there.”

Statistics vividly chronicle how Guerrero’s injuries have hurt his batting average and his home run and run batted in totals.

Since the All-Star break, Guerrero has had only 7 home runs--the last coming on Aug. 5--and 14 RBIs. In his last 14 games, when the thumb and wrist injuries have worsened, Guerrero has 8 hits in 51 at-bats.

“I feel like I really can’t swing the bat like when I’m healthy,” Guerrero said. “It seems like every time I go up and swing, I’m trying to protect my wrist.

“My swing is with my hands. I hit home runs with my wrists. A lot of guys hit home runs with big swings. I can’t do that. A lot of pitches, I’m afraid to swing because I know I’ll hurt my hand, and it’ll get worse.”

Asked if a few days off would mend his various ailments, Guerrero quipped: “Maybe a couple months.”

Even that might not be long enough. Guerrero first hurt his left wrist in 1985 and, periodically, it flares up.

“I took all of last year off (with his knee operation) and that didn’t help,” Guerrero said.

With or without Guerrero, the Dodger offense figures to continue to slump.

“It’s even more frustrating when everybody’s hurting,” Hatcher said.

Illustrating the frustration Monday night was Garner, who, after fouling out to catcher Gary Carter in the seventh inning, stood in the batter’s box and flipped his bat into the air. He watched it fall, then picked it up and slunk back to the bench.

Hoffman had two of the Dodgers’ four hits off Aguilera. Both were singles.

The Dodgers’ only extra-base hit was a double to center field by Mike Scioscia in the second that Dykstra badly misplayed. That put John Shelby on third and Scioscia on second with one out. But Aguilera forced Garner to hit a fly to right that was too shallow to score Shelby. Then, after intentionally walking Woodson, Aguilera got Hillegas to ground to first.

Hillegas, who allowed three hits, walked four and struck out six in seven innings, was lifted for pinch-hitter Ken Landreaux in the eighth. A lot of good that did. Landreaux struck out.

“Teams get in slumps,” Hillegas said. “Right now, we’re in a slump. You just got to go out and do your best anyway.”

So scarce were Dodger hits Monday that Lasorda pointed out near misses with pride.

“Stubbs hit that ball hard (in the sixth), but it was right at him,” Lasorda said. “Saxy hit a shot (in the eighth), but the guy caught it. Scioscia hit the ball hard all night,” he said.

Dodger Notes

Dodger sources have confirmed that Pedro Guerrero and Mike Marshall made derisive comments about each other after last Wednesday’s victory in Montreal but said the players did not argue face-to-face or come close to fighting as they had in June after a game in Dodger Stadium. Wednesday night, both Guerrero and Marshall were injured, but Guerrero made a pinch-hit appearance. Two days later, Marshall was put on the disabled list with a badly bruised left ankle. “There were just some things said, that’s all,” a source said. Marshall, eligible to come off the disabled list on Sept. 1, has been the subject of considerable clubhouse grumbling from teammates after his latest injury, which has kept him out of the lineup since Aug. 8. . . . Add Marshall: Dr. Frank Jobe drained more fluid Monday from Marshall’s left shin, which is still swollen. The Dodgers said Marshall still is expected to be activated on Sept. 1. . . . A flock of New York reporters descended upon Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda’s office before Monday’s game, asking him if he has been approached about managing the Yankees, providing, of course, that Lou Piniella will not be back next season. “They’ve got me going to Chicago, Philadelphia, New York,” Lasorda said, laughing. “At least they are nice cities. They even told me that Tony Kubek said I wouldn’t be back (with the Dodgers) next season. How does he know that?”. . . . The Dodgers have signed Donald Carroll of El Cajon’s Granite Hills High School, their second-round pick in the June draft. Carroll, who set a CIF San Diego Section record with 50 hits in a season, had signed a letter of intent to attend Cal State Fullerton but, apparently, decided to turn professional after Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido left the school to go to the University of Illinois. Carroll will report to the Arizona Instructional League in September. . . . The Albuquerque Dukes of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League have signed a two-year contract extension with the Dodgers. . . . Brad Havens, recovering from a rib injury, gave up two runs in three innings in his first Albuquerque appearance.