Davis Plays a Key Role in L.A. Win : Leary Picks Up His 10th Victory as Dodgers Beat Pirates

Mike Davis, tired of being among the idle rich, had waited impatiently for the end of his indeterminate sentence on the Dodger bench.

Given a chance to play Saturday night because of John Shelby’s eye injury and Mickey Hatcher’s sore groin, Davis finally showed glimpses of why Dodger management signed him for nearly $2 million for two seasons. Emerging from a season-long hitting slump, Davis produced a run-scoring fly ball and an RBI triple in the Dodgers’ 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

On any other night, the attention would have been on Dodger starter Tim Leary, who overcame a shaky start to retire 24 of the last 27 batters he faced for his 10th victory and team-high seventh complete game.

But the contribution of Davis, long-awaited and well-received by his teammates, was as much a cause for celebration in the Dodger clubhouse as the fact that their second straight win kept them 5 games ahead of the second-place Houston Astros in the National League West.

Davis, hailed this spring by Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda as part of his “Awesome Fivesome,” basically has been the Lonesome Onesome on the bench after barely hitting .200 through late May. Then came an awful spell on the bench, which proved more regressive than restorative. Davis’ batting average dropped as low as .192, and at one point, he was 1 for 14 as a pinch-hitter.

“To me,” Davis said, “the salary only comes in mind when other people talk about it. I want to come out and play and justify it. The toughest thing--and I’ve said this before--is not being able to redeem myself.

“You leave a lasting impression of being garbage in the public’s eyes and your teammates’ eyes. They gave me 150 at-bats (through late May), and I didn’t do it. That’s all Tommy remembers and everyone else remembers--that I didn’t do it.

Lately, I’ve felt good at the plate, but there’s been no place to show it. So, you sit there and bide your time. You hate to see John Shelby get hit with that ball. But it gave me a chance to show management and the players that I can still play this game.”

A week ago Saturday, on national television, Davis tried a different tactic to get attention. He jokingly held up a cardboard sign that read, “Mike Davis Is Alive And Well.”

Until his two-RBI performance against Pirate left-hander John Smiley, highlighting a 10-hit Dodger attack, Davis’ sign was half right. He was alive, if not swinging well. In his first two starts in Shelby’s absence, Davis went 1 for 6 and left four runners in scoring position.

Davis seemed considerably more comfortable and patient at the plate against Smiley (9-6).

Davis drew a walk in his first at-bat, in the second inning, which ordinarily would not warrant special mention. But at that point, it was Davis’ best at-bat of the series. He fell behind in the count, 1 and 2, before fouling off a pitch and taking two balls (both wild pitches, advancing Mike Marshall to third base). Davis then took a third ball and fouled off another pitch before drawing the walk.

“An excellent at-bat,” hitting coach Ben Hines said. “He did an excellent job fighting it off. When you see more pitches you adapt.”

An inning later, Davis came to the plate with Kirk Gibson on third base and one out. Davis lofted a fly ball deep enough in left field to score Gibson and push the Dodgers ahead, 3-2.

In the eighth inning, with the Dodgers still leading by one run, Davis lined a triple into the right-field corner to score Tracy Woodson and ignite a three-run rally.

Although Davis raised his batting average to .208, he still figures to return to the bench when Shelby comes back, which will probably be Monday in San Francisco. Even when presented with the scenario that Davis starts hitting, Lasorda said it still would be difficult for Davis to crack the lineup. It most likely would mean moving Mike Marshall from right field back to first base and Pedro Guerrero to third base when he returns from his prolonged stint on the disabled list and Albuquerque.

Davis realizes his difficult position, but he apparently has learned to deal with it.

“I could say some derogatory things to tear down the team, but the team is winning and I don’t want to do that,” Davis said. “I’m not happy with the situation, but I don’t want to create tension. As the Lord says, ‘Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.’ I just have to keep believing in myself, because I have the confidence in my ability.”

As for Leary, with every start, it seems, his confidence has risen as his earned-run average has fallen. His ERA is 2.47, even after giving up two runs in the first inning on two singles, a walk and a hit batter.

After the poor first inning, however, Leary retired the next seven batters before giving up a single to R.J. Reynolds in the fourth. He then retired the next seven before Bobby Bonilla singled in the sixth. Then, Leary retired the next seven before Andy Van Slyke singled in the ninth. But Leary easily finished off the Pirates to post the victory.

Except for the first inning, Leary had his typical control. He walked 1 and struck out 8. He recorded 13 ground-ball outs, an indication that his cut fastball was sinking. But on this night, Leary said his split-fingered, off-speed pitch was the most effective.

“My last few games, I’ve primarily used the cut fastball.” Leary said. “But this time, against an aggressive-hitting team like Pittsburgh, the split-finger is better because it has that movement on it. The arm speed on the pitch makes it deceptive.”

Dodger Notes

Don Sutton, making a rehabilitative start for the Dodgers’ Class-A club in Bakersfield, allowed 3 hits, 1 unearned run, struck out 8 and walked none in 5 innings. When Sutton left the game, however, the Modesto A’s had a 1-0 lead. . . . Mike Davis said he has started swinging better at the plate after receiving a cortisone injection in his left ankle just before the All-Star break. Davis badly sprained the ankle on March 15 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the Dodgers were playing an exhibition game. “I didn’t want to use that as an excuse, but it has been bothering me,” Davis said. “Mostly, it hurt when I pivoted my foot and threw my hips open.” . . . John Shelby reported that nearly all the swelling is gone from his right eye, after being hit by his own foul ball Wednesday. Shelby’s pupils are still slightly dilated, so he did not take batting practice Saturday.