Astros’ Puhl Pulls Grand Slam Off Hershiser : Dodger Starter Allows 10 Hits, 9 Earned Runs in 5 Innings During 11-5 Loss

On a day in which the Dodgers added a former Cy Young Award winner to their broadcast booth, Orel Hershiser made a weak pitch for this year’s award.

Terry Puhl transformed a Hershiser pitch into his third career grand slam as the Houston Astros leveled the Dodgers, 11-5, Monday night before a season-low crowd of 8,593 at the Astrodome.

Puhl’s slam punctuated another rocky outing for Hershiser, who was charged with 10 hits and 9 earned runs over 5 innings. Hershiser has allowed 18 hits and 15 earned runs in his last 11 innings, hardly the kind of late evidence he wanted to present in an attempt to become the sixth player in club history to win the Cy Young.

“I don’t think I’m out of the running altogether,” said Hershiser, who leads the league with 256 innings pitched and has thrown nine complete games. “I think I’ll receive a few votes, but I don’t see myself winning it.

“Last week, I felt it would take three good outings to sway the voters to my side. You need that last zip to put you over the top, especially when there are several pitchers still in the running.”

Earlier in the day, the Dodgers announced 1962 Cy Young Award winner Don Drysdale had agreed to terms on a five-year contract to join the club’s broadcast team. After watching five of his pitchers yield 14 hits to one of baseball’s poorest offensive teams, Manager Tom Lasorda probably wonders if Drysdale, 51, would like to follow in the footsteps of Phil Niekro and make one last comeback.

Hershiser’s futility against the Astros sent his earned-run average soaring from 2.86 to 3.12. Before the game, his ERA was second in the league only to Nolan Ryan’s 2.69.

“It’s a real shame Nolan doesn’t have a better won-lost (8-14) record,” Hershiser said. “He has the stats in other categories you need to win the Cy Young. (Chicago’s) Rick Sutcliffe has had a good year, too. It’s hard to say who’ll win it.”

As the Dodgers lost for the seventh time in eight games in the Astrodome this season, Steve Sax’s 19-game hitting streak, the longest by a Dodger player this season, was snapped. He went 0 for 4 with a walk against winning pitcher Jim Deshaies (11-6) and reliever Jeff Heathcock.

The Dodgers’ hopes of finishing third in the NL West ahead of the Astros also faded in a loss that ended a three-game winning streak. The Astros lead the Dodgers by five games with six games remaining.

“We’ve done a good job to stay out of the basement,” said Hershiser (16-15). “We were hoping we could come in here and sweep these two games and crawl into third, but that’s not going to happen.”

Puhl, who tied a career high with four hits, snapped a 3-3 tie in the fifth when he pulled Hershiser’s first pitch into the first row of the pavilion seats in right field. He was getting only his 12th start of the year because of rookie Gerald Young’s lingering knee injury.

“It’s been a tough adjustment for me,” Puhl said of his role as a reserve after eight seasons as a starter. “I’ve always tried to do what they’ve wanted me to, regardless of what it’s been.”

Glenn Davis capped the Astros’ offensive surge with a three-run homer in the sixth against reliever Brian Holton. Hershiser had left the game earlier in the inning after giving up a one-out triple to Craig Reynolds and hitting Bill Doran with a pitch.

Pedro Guerrero extended his longest hitting streak of the season to 13 games in the first inning when he followed a one-out double by Jose Gonzalez with a run-scoring single against Deshaies.

The Astros responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning on a run-producing double by Reynolds and Kevin Bass’ fielder’s-choice grounder.

Davis’ second single of the game gave the Astros a 3-1 lead in the third, but the Dodgers tied the score 3-3 in the fifth on a single by Hershiser and a fielder’s-choice grounder by Sax.

“I’ve got a better chance of winning the Silver Slugger than the Cy Young after that single and RBI,” Hershiser said.

After Puhl’s slam set the Astros on course for only their third victory in 13 games, the Dodgers made things interesting with two runs against Deshaies in the sixth on a double by Mike Marshall and Mike Scioscia’s pinch-hit infield single.

But it wasn’t enough.

Dodger Notes

A loss by the Dodgers tonight would leave them with their worst season record at Houston since the Astros entered the National League in 1962. The Dodgers’ worst previous mark was their 2-7 record against the Astros last season. . . . Mariano Duncan joined the Dodgers’ Arizona Instructional League camp Monday and is scheduled to remain there until mid-October. Jeff Hamilton also is in Arizona and Ken Howell, Len Matuszek and Craig Shipley have said they will spend some time at the camp. . . . Nolan Ryan, tonight’s scheduled starter for the Astros, is averaging 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings, the highest ratio of his 20-year career.