Nothing Interferes With Dodger Win, 5-4

This clever Dodger ploy of seizing upon apparent misfortune after heated arguments with umpires once again was quite an effective formula for victory on what began as a tranquil Sunday afternoon.

No, the Dodgers did not win their formal protest over a controversial call of runner’s interference in the fourth inning, simply because they didn’t need to. They proceeded to beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4, before a crowd of 38,982.

Whether it is a coincidence or a strange motivational device, the Dodgers went on to win for the second time in four games after they told the umpires they were playing under protest. This time, it was an questionable interference call that wiped out two runs.

But, thanks to three throwing errors by Red shortstop Barry Larkin shortly after the controversial call, accounting for three runs, the Dodgers are able to go into a four-game series against Houston leading in the National League West by 2 1/2 games over the second-place Astros.

“We’ll use (the protests) when we need it,” cracked Manager Tom Lasorda, who saw starter Tim Leary improve his record to 5-4 and Jay Howell earn his fifth save.

Actually, this was just another wacky game for the Dodgers, who seem to thrive on controversy and umpire confrontations.

Here is a team that has played two games in the past week under protest over controversial calls, then made them moot by winning both games. A team that has a manager, Lasorda, that spends almost as much time on the field venting protestations as his players do. And a team with a intense outfielder, Kirk Gibson, who argued with an umpire after being called safe at second base.

“Was there a full moon or something?” home plate umpire Frank Pulli asked. “This was weird baseball.”

But forget the fifth-inning episode in which Gibson felt second-base umpire Jerry Crawford was showing him up by allegedly exaggerating his safe call on a run-scoring double. Forget, too, the sight of struggling outfielder Mike Davis’ exchanging angry words with a fan after making an error in the fourth inning and receiving a restraining bearhug from Lasorda. Or third-base coach Joe Amalfitano arguing with third-base umpire Doug Harvey after the umpire said he wanted to “move the game along.”

Those were merely side acts. The main event, which caused the most fuss and most related to the outcome, was the runner’s interference call in the fourth inning with the Dodgers and Reds tied, 1-1.

The Dodgers had Mike Marshall on second base and John Shelby on first after consecutive singles. Mike Scioscia hit a high-chopping grounder that sailed over pitcher Mario Soto’s head and bounced toward second baseman Jeff Treadway, who was charging the ball.

Depending on whose version you had, Treadway collided with Shelby and tumbled to the turf or took a dive to make the appearance of being hit. Crawford did not make a call immediately, so Marshall rounded third and headed for home and Shelby ran to third.

Larkin, who had not made an error to that point, picked up the ball near second base and threw it into the Dodgers’ dugout behind third base. That scored Shelby for an apparent 3-1 Dodger lead. But, after a meeting of the umpires, Pulli made the interference call, taking the two runs off the board, putting Marshall at second, Scioscia at first and Shelby on the bench with the first out.

Enter Lasorda, who argued for about five minutes, making two contentions: 1) Scioscia’s chopper could have been fielded by Soto, thus nullifying the interference call with Treadway and Shelby; and 2) Shelby did not hit Treadway on his way to second.

Replied Pulli, who said he made the call because Crawford admitted missing it: “Tommy’s protest was that the pitchers could have gotten the ball, but he would’ve had to be Wilt Chamberlain. And he said the second baseman had no chance on the grounder.”

Shelby, however, said Treadway may have a second career waiting for him in Hollywood.

“I didn’t touch him,” Shelby said. “I saw the replay. It was a good acting job on his part. That could have been the big play of the day if we hadn’t gotten those two runs back.”

After Lasorda argued, he informed Pulli, who informed the public-address announcer, that the game would be played under protest.

The Dodgers protested last Wednesday’s game in New York, when Lasorda and pitcher Tim Belcher were ejected for supposedly throwing at a batter. That night, the Dodgers took the lead immediately following the protest.

It happened that way again following another protest. Jeff Hamilton hit a potential double-play grounder to Treadway, who threw to Larkin at second to force Scioscia. But Larkin’s throw to first went in the dirt and into the Reds’ dugout, scoring Marshall for a 2-1 Dodger lead.

Larkin’s problems increased when Dave Anderson hit a potential inning-ending grounder, but Larkin’s wild throw landed in the seats behind first base, scoring Hamilton.

The Dodgers added two runs in the equally eventful fifth inning to take a 5-1 lead. After Gibson’s double scored Steve Sax from second base, Gibson exchanged words with Crawford at second base.

“He didn’t like the way I called him safe,” Crawford said. “He thought I was baiting him. He said, ‘What do you mean by that?’ I said, ‘What do you mean what do I mean?’ ”

Said Gibson: “That’s exactly what I thought. I knew he was baiting me. I was very intense today, probably too intense. Maybe I said more than I should have. . . . Things were getting out of hand.”

The arguments escalated when the usually docile Amalfitano came to restrain Gibson and then started vehemently arguing with Harvey because Harvey apparently told him he wanted to move the game along.

When the inning finally resumed, Marshall hit a grounder to Larkin at short. This time, Larkin’s throw went over Nick Esasky’s head at first base and into a photo well, scoring Gibson for a 5-1 Dodger lead.

The next inning, Larkin left the game with a bruised middle finger on his right hand. Maybe a bruised ego, too. Afterward, Larkin said he injured his hand slamming his bat into a clubhouse wall in Chicago a few days ago.

“I had no feeling in my finger,” Larkin said. “I said to Pete that I’d keep going out there if he wanted, but I can’t keep doing this.”

After Larkin’s departure, the action settled down. Leary gave up a run in the sixth inning and a run in the eighth after back-to-back ground-rule doubles by Paul O’Neill and Esasky.

On came reliever Howell and a brief resurrection of controversy. With Esasky on second and two out, Howell was called for a balk by Harvey, who apparently yelled out the call while Howell was in his windup. Bo Diaz, the batter, singled off Jeff Hamilton’s glove at third, scoring Esasky to cut the lead to 5-4.

Lasorda’s contention was that Hamilton relaxed after hearing the balk call and barely missed the grounder. He thought Harvey should have waited until the pitch was thrown to make the call.

But, given that Howell retired the Reds in the ninth, and given other contentious developments, Lasorda seemed willing to let that one slide.

Dodger Notes

Pedro Guerrero, whose sore neck and upper left back forced him to miss Sunday’s game, will be examined by a back specialist early this week, according to trainer Bill Buhler. . . . Reliever Jesse Orosco’s sore left elbow is not an arthritic condition, as reported Sunday. “He’s still taking hot and cold treatment and he says he’s available (to pitch),” Buhler said. . . . John Shelby extended his hitting streak to 20 games Sunday, but he didn’t want to discuss it. “What’s the record, 56? Talk to me if I get closer. It’s nothing now,” Shelby said. . . . Mike Davis, who went 0 for 4 and made his second error in as many days in right field, had to be restrained by Manager Tom Lasorda after a fan yelled abuse at him outside the dugout. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Davis said, declining to talk about the incident. . . . Shortstop Mariano Duncan, playing for the Dodgers’ triple-A team in Albuquerque, has had chest and back pains recently. He was in Los Angeles Sunday to be examined by doctors, who apparently have ruled out any heart condition.