Valenzuela’s Victory Over the Braves Gets a Lot of Ayes From L.A.

Wearing glasses while pitching for the first time in his career, Fernando Valenzuela at least looked slightly different Tuesday night. Adjusting his glasses became as routine for Valenzuela as tugging on the bill of his cap between pitches.

But, in terms of performance, Valenzuela said he did not see much difference. Coming off an impressive complete-game victory last week--sans glasses--Valenzuela pitched seven strong innings--with glasses--in the Dodgers’ 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves in front of 11,136 in Fulton County Stadium.

“I see a little more clear, like signs and stuff,” Valenzuela said. “But that’s all. It’s no difference. The ball just went where I wanted it to (go) tonight.”

Before leaving after seven innings with what he termed as slight shoulder stiffness, Valenzuela allowed two runs and four hits. And, with a 5-2 lead, he had visions of winning consecutive games for the first time this season.

Valenzuela (5-5) nearly saw it vanish in the eighth inning when the Braves rallied against relievers Alejandro Pena and Jay Howell to cut the Dodger lead to one. Howell, however, pitched a trouble-free ninth inning for his seventh save.

Valenzuela’s solid effort, combined with offensive production highlighted by John Shelby’s two-run home run in the third inning, enabled the Dodgers to snap a three-game losing streak. With the Houston Astros’ loss Tuesday, the Dodger regained sole possession of first place in the National League West.

Valenzuela’s return to form could help the Dodgers remain atop the standings. Everyone, including Valenzuela, was optimistic by his strong back-to-back outings. The Dodgers are hoping the glasses, which Valenzuela had resisted wearing, will help.

Last week, Manager Tom Lasorda and Fred Claire, executive vice president, convinced Valenzuela to be fitted with a special pair of “athletic glasses,” which are contoured for better peripheral vision. They did it as much for his fielding as pitching.

“I was concerned about his fielding,” Lasorda said. “A couple of times (this season), balls were hit back to him that he didn’t catch. And you know what kind of (good) fielder Freddy is.”

Valenzuela, who said he will continue to wear glasses though they are a tad bothersome, said the lenses considerably improved his fielding.

“I can see the balls coming back to me better,” said Valenzuela, who started wearing glasses while driving and hitting in spring training. “And when I look to the plate, I can see (catcher Mike) Scioscia’s glove better. But I never look at the plate when I pitch. I never even see the plate.”

Before his last two starts, many of Valenzuela’s pitches never came close to the plate. He entered Tuesday’s start having walked 43 batters and striking out 35. Against the light-hitting Braves, Valenzuela walked three and struck out one. In his last two starts, Valenzuela has only one strikeout.

But Lasorda and pitching coach Ron Perranoski say Valenzuela’s dwindling strikeout total is a good sign.

“I’m glad, because now he’s making them hit the ball,” Perranoski said. “Before, they wouldn’t swing. Now, he’s getting them to swing at his pitches, because he’s throwing strikes.”

Valenzuela, always harsh on himself, lamented his three walks, one of which turned into a Brave run. But he also said he felt more in control and had better control.

“I tried to keep the ball down and away,” Valenzuela said. “I was still a little behind the hitters, but I came back strong, and I felt fine. I could’ve kept pitching.”

The decision to pull Valenzuela, according to Lasorda, was made to save wear-and-tear on his arm and to show faith in the Dodger bullpen. Valenzuela had thrown only 87 pitches--52 strikes--but said he had experienced slight stiffness in his left shoulder.

“Yeah, that had something to do with it,” Lasorda said.

Said Valenzuela: “I’d like to stay and go nine, but I told (Perranoski) to do whatever he wanted. I’m fine (physically), but the shoulder was a little stiff, and sometimes it didn’t let me finish my follow-through right. But I pitched through that and felt fine.

“But that may be why Perry took me out.”

Pena entered in the eighth and gave up a walk and single before Howell was summoned. After a wild pitch, a run-scoring groundout and Dale Murphy’s run-scoring double, the Dodger lead was cut to 5-4.

Five Dodger runs, however, turned out to be enough. Dodger hitters produced early and often against Brave starter Pete Smith (1-7), chasing him after three innings by scoring four runs.

Shelby hit an opposite field two-run home run, giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead in the third. Other Dodger runs off Smith came on Mike Marshall’s run-scoring single in the first and Franklin Stubbs’ sacrifice fly in the second. The Dodgers’ fifth run, off reliever Juan Eichelberger, was unearned.

Leading the offensive were Marshall, who had three singles in the first four innings, and Valenzuela, who had a double in the second and single in the eighth before being replaced by a pinch-runner.

Those glasses also must have helped Valenzuela’s vision at the plate, right?

“I hit the ball good,” Valenzuela said, smiling. “I’m happy about that.”

Dodger Notes

After striking out in the seventh inning on his way to an 0-for-5 night, Jeff Hamilton threw his bat in the dugout. The bat ricocheted off the floor and hit a young fan in the leg. The youngster was four rows behind the Dodger dugout. The fan apparently was not seriously injured, though he applied ice to his leg. Fans booed Hamilton and the Dodgers. Manager Tom Lasorda immediately gave the fan a second bat and several balls as souvenirs. Hamilton apologized to the fan after the game and gave him a pair of batting gloves. Hamilton said he was shaken by the incident, which he said was purely accidental. “I feel awful,” Hamilton said. “I was aiming for the bat rack. It’s the first and last time I’ll ever throw a bat. I was just stupid.” Hamilton said he is frustrated at his poor play filling in for injured Pedro Guerrero at third base. He is hitting .179 and has 5 errors . . . Guerrero was released from Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood Monday night, but he will continue traction and other rehabilitative treatment on his sore neck on an outpatient basis. Guerrero probably will not come off the disabled list Monday, when he is first eligible . . . Mickey Hatcher, who suffered a right groin muscle injury over the weekend in San Diego, said he is well enough to play. Hatcher has been playing first base against left-handed pitching since Mike Marshall’s request to move to right field. “I ran on it, and I feel about 85%,” Hatcher said. “I told Tommy that. I hope he puts me in.” . . . When pitcher Ken Howell is activated Thursday to make his first start after spending time on the disabled list and in Albuquerque, outfielder Jose Gonzalez is expected to be optioned to Albuquerque.