Valenzuela Puts Redemption Low and Outside : Dodgers Lose to Expos in 10 After Coming Within One Pitch of Winning

One more strike and Fernando Valenzuela would have silenced, at least temporarily, all the recent reports of his pitching demise. One more strike and the Dodgers’ winning streak would have reached five and all would have been right in their world.

But neither Valenzuela nor the Dodgers got that strike, setting off a chain of events that led to the Dodgers’ 3-2 loss to the Montreal Expos in 10 innings Saturday.

With the Dodgers leading, 2-1, and two out in the ninth, Valenzuela’s 3-and-2 pitch to Tim Wallach was low and outside. It was the first walk he had allowed. Andres Galarraga belted the next pitch into the left-field corner, scoring pinch-runner Herm Winningham with the tying run and ruining Valenzuela’s best outing this season.

An inning later, Valenzuela was out of the game. His Dodger teammates quickly followed. Boosted by safe calls at second and third bases on close plays involving Luis Rivera, the Expos pushed across a run off reliever Jay Howell on Hubie Brooks bases-loaded single to left field.

Rivera led off the 10th with a single off Howell, then beat the pitcher’s throw to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Umpire Terry Tata said that shortstop Dave Anderson pulled his foot early from the bag. Rivera then stole third, beating Pedro Guerrero’s tag, despite the protestations of Guerrero and Manager Tom Lasorda.

After Mitch Webster was intentionally walked, Brooks completed the Expos’ rally with a high chopper that bounced over Guerrero’s head and into left field.

“It’s tough to lose a game like that,” Lasorda said. “Two outs. Nobody on. That was the only guy (Valenzuela) walked all day.”

The few Dodger players who made themselves available to talk weren’t saying much. Despite a fine outing--allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk (and 1 intentionally)--an angry Valenzuela issued a rare no comment.

“I don’t have anything to say,” he said.

Howell, who got the loss two nights after earning his third save in Philadelphia, also would not comment about any aspect of the 10th inning.

“Don’t ask me anything,” Howell said. “We got beat. I didn’t like it. I’m (ticked) off.”

Maybe the Dodgers, 26-18 and in first place in the National League West by 1 1/2 games over Houston, were just so flabbergasted at the quick turn around of Saturday’s game that they wouldn’t know what to say if they had the inclination to talk.

An encouraging sign, however, could be drawn from Valenzuela’s performance. Valenzuela was coming off the worst outing of his career last Sunday, when he allowed 5 runs and lasted only 1 innings against the New York Mets. After some tinkering with his mechanics, Valenzuela seemed a different pitcher against the Expos. Going into the ninth inning, Valenzuela had a four-hitter and had command of his control. He had not walked a batter and had a three-ball count to hitters only five times. He threw a surprisingly low 93 pitches.

“You have to be impressed with the game he pitched,” Lasorda said of Valenzuela. “He pitched a hell of a game. But we couldn’t score many runs for him. We had 10 hits and 2 runs. A lot of chances.”

For some reason, no one wanted to talk about why Valenzuela pitched better Saturday after entering the game with an earned-run average pushing 4 and more walks (36) than strikeouts (31).

Between starts, flaws in Valenzuela’s delivery were spotted and corrected.

“We don’t like to divulge what that was,” Lasorda said. “That’s private.”

Said catcher Mike Scioscia: “I can’t say what those corrections were. I just catch him. But I do know those corrections paid off. He threw a great game.”

Pitching coach Ron Perranoski, the man with the answers, had left the clubhouse by the time some reporters tried to reach him.

One theory, however, is that Valenzuela’s right leg was too straight when he planted during his delivery, affecting his follow through.

This much, however, is clear about Valenzuela: He still is capable of being a dominant pitcher, though he has only three wins in eight decisions and has only one complete game this season.

“Fernando’s a human being,” Scioscia said. “He’s prone to slumps, to mechanical flaws in his delivery, just like anyone else. He has some bad games, and the first thing people question is whether he’s hurt, whether he needs glasses and his eyes are going or any number of things. Maybe he’s just in a slump.”

Until Saturday, the Dodgers had been rolling, not slumping. But against another left-hander, Neal Heaton, they had another offensive lapse. Until the ninth, though, it looked as if two runs would be enough.

“When you get a well-pitched ball game like that, you got to score three runs to win, and we didn’t,” Scioscia said.

But the things that most upset the Dodgers were the two 10th-inning calls by the umpires.

Tata ruled that Anderson pulled his foot early from second base. “He was off the bag when the throw got there,” Tata said. “Everyone’s always talking about phantom plays at second base, so. . . . “

Said Anderson: “He called me off the bag. It doesn’t matter what I think.”

Gerry Davis, the third base umpire, said that, on Rivera’s stolen base, Guerrero missed his first tag then tried to push Rivera off the bag with a second tag.

Said Guerrero: “I think I (tagged Rivera). (Davis) said the throw was on the other side of the bag.”

Guerrero shrugged, then addressed the peculiarity of Saturday’s game. “Anything can happen,” he said. “I’ve seen it happen. That’s why they say it isn’t over until it’s over.” Dodger Notes

Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ executive vice president, has joined the club in Montreal after spending three days watching the Dodgers’ triple-A team in Albuquerque, N.M. Pitcher Ken Howell, in his first appearance since coming off a rehabilitation assignment, allowed only one hit in six innings Friday night. . . . Pedro Guerrero went 0 for 4 in his first game after missing four straight after being suspended for throwing his bat at New York Mets pitcher David Cone. . . . Orel Hershiser (6-2) opposes the Expos’ John Dopson (1-1) today.