Dodgers Can’t Turn to the Left, So Hershiser Loses to Reds, 5-2

As Orel Hershiser’s pitch count moved past 100 and the Cincinnati Reds threatened to score in almost every inning Saturday, a look into the Dodger bullpen showed only middle reliever Brian Holton making seemingly token tosses.

Then, in the midst of another Red scare in the ninth inning of a 2-2 tie, Jay Howell joined Holton in the bullpen. But left-hander Jesse Orosco, seemingly the reliever of preference in a situation with two out, a runner on second and left-hand hitting Paul O’Neill at the plate, could not be spotted.

Orosco, unavailable because of tenderness in his left elbow after extensive work earlier in the week, could only watch as O’Neill deposited a Hershiser curveball over the right-field fence to lift the Reds to a 5-2 win over the Dodgers before a crowd of 32,550 at Dodger Stadium.

While the loss of Orosco might not have directly contributed to the Dodger loss, it certainly would have given Manager Tom Lasorda a few options other than steadfastly staying with Hershiser during an outing in which catcher Mike Scioscia said he “struggled” all day.

“You have to think of the bullpen in that situation,” Lasorda said. “But we didn’t want to pitch Orosco today. He wasn’t available, so I’m not going to answer all these ‘what if?’ questions from you guys.”

Instead, the Dodgers (29-21) could only lament what might have been. They scored only two runs and managed eight singles against the Reds the day after a near-record 22 singles produced 13 runs and a 13-5 win.

With few runs to speak of and a bullpen depleted by injuries, it was left to Hershiser (7-3) to try to persevere. But he lost a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning and gave up the game-winning home run to O’Neill in the ninth.

The victory broke a six-game losing streak and gave Manager Pete Rose, in his third game back from his month-long suspension, his first win since April 26.

And, at least for one day, Rose’s half-serious preseason prediction--”Lasorda will use Orosco so much he won’t be able to salute the flag by June”--was prophetic.

Afterward, though, Rose made no such proclamations. In fact, he dodged the subject of staying with Hershiser quite deftly.

“That’s the other guy’s decision,” Rose said. “(Hershiser) didn’t look any less (effective) in the ninth than in the second.”

The tenderness in Orosco’s elbow, treated with heat and ice before Saturday’s game, is not believed to be serious. “He’s had a history of problems with his elbow,” trainer Bill Buhler said. “He threw a lot on the road, and I don’t think this is anything serious. It’s an arthritic condition he’s had for a while.”

But Orosco’s absence, even for just a game, was felt by the Dodgers.

“Yeah, I could’ve been used (in that situation), but (Hershiser) was pitching fine,” Orosco said. “And I’m not sure they would have used me in that situation.”

Lasorda said Howell, who had appeared in two of the Dodgers’ previous three games, was available. Lasorda also said that Alejandro Pena, who pitched two innings Friday night, was available. But he chose to stay with Hershiser.

Hershiser, despite throwing 144 pitches, insisted that he did not tire in the ninth, that he did not pitch any differently because of the tired bullpen, and that he was trying to pitch around O’Neill to get to right-hand hitting Dave Concepcion.

“Tired?” said Hershiser, repeating a question. “No, not at all. I felt great. I could’ve gone 10 or 11 innings. I don’t think Tommy even thought about going to the bullpen. He asked me how I felt, and I said ‘OK.’ ”

Hershiser might have made it to extra innings had the Dodgers completed a difficult double play chance on Kal Daniels’ ground ball earlier in the ninth.

With one out and Barry Larkin on first, Daniels grounded sharply to first baseman Mike Marshall near the bag. Instead of trying to force out the lead runner, Marshall stepped on first and threw to shortstop Dave Anderson covering second. But Larkin beat the tag on a close play, putting a runner in scoring position.

Said Marshall: “I realized (Larkin) was the go-ahead run, but I thought I had a chance going the other way to get the double play. If I had a chance to do it again, I’d throw to second (base) first.”

Up came Eric Davis, batting only .228 and 0 for 4 Saturday. Hershiser hit Davis in the left shoulder, bringing up O’Neill, who already had two singles off Hershiser.

Hershiser said he wanted to pitch around O’Neill because he was aware that Concepcion, the next batter, was 1 for 20 lifetime against him. Turns out, Hershiser did strike out Concepcion, but it came after O’Neill’s home run.

O’Neill, seemingly waiting for a curveball on a 3-and-1 count, jumped on the pitch and sent it over the 360-foot sign in right field.

“I was kind of pitching around O’Neill,” Hershiser said. “But he’s a good hitter. The pitch was low and outside, and he hit it pretty good.”

Said Lasorda: “I wanted Orel to pitch to him. Even if I had brought in Orosco, they would have made a switch to bring in (a right-handed hitter, probably Lloyd McClendon).”

Because Hershiser is the Dodgers’ best starting pitcher, Lasorda tends to leave him in the game longer. That seemed especially true considering that it had been four games since a Dodger starter had completed six innings, putting a strain on the bullpen.

Dodger hitters, conversely, have totaled only five runs in Hershiser’s last four starts, a statistic that Scioscia said was the difference in the game.

“Orel’s such a good pitcher that every mistake is magnified,” Scioscia said. “If you say Hershiser gave up the home run and that’s why we lost the game, you’re missing the point. The real story is that we scored only two runs. Orel gave us six more innings to pad a 2-1 lead, and we didn’t do it. That’s the story.”

Maybe so, but the story’s well-plotted ending came on O’Neill’s home run.

Dodger Notes

Manager Tom Lasorda said he has no plans to temporarily take Fernando Valenzuela out of the starting rotation. Valenzuela gave up 4 runs in 2 innings Friday night against the Reds and, two starts before that, gave up 5 runs in 1 against the Mets. “That’s not an option for me, unless (Valenzuela) tells me he’s hurt or something. He’ll be pitching.” Valenzuela, who threw 61 pitches in less than three innings, agreed with catcher Mike Scioscia’s contention that he was not aggressive against batters early in the count. “In the third inning, I always stayed a little behind,” Valenzuela said Saturday. “I’m not consistent. Sometimes, I have a good game. Sometimes, bad. I try not to (analyze) it. If you think too much in this game, you’d go crazy.”. . . . Mike Davis made his first start in four games and had a first-inning single. But he made a fielding error in right field in the seventh inning that enabled Jeff Treadway, who doubled, to take third base . . . John Shelby’s second-inning infield single extended his hitting streak to 19 games. . . . Jose Rijo, who has appeared in 6 of the Reds’ last 7 games, earned the win Saturday, his sixth. Rijo pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings, allowing only a Scioscia single in the ninth. . . . Reds’ fallout from Friday night’s 13-5 loss to the Dodgers: Owner Marge Schott, hoping to inspire the team before the start of an important trip, spoke to the team via speaker phone in the visitor’s clubhouse before Friday’s game. No call was placed before Saturday’s game. . . . Reliever John Franco, hit below the right knee with a line drive in the seventh inning Friday, was scheduled to be examined by an orthopedic specialist Saturday. X-rays on Franco’s leg showed no fracture. . . . The Dodgers’ Tim Leary (4-4) opposes Mario Soto (3-4) today at 1 p.m.