Leary Helps Carry Dodgers to 7-3 Victory Over Giants

Presumably, nothing in Dodger pitcher Tim Leary’s job description specifies that he must provide his own offensive support whenever he pitches.

But, since he often has been afflicted with run deprivation by a Dodger offense that wildly fluctuates, Leary has learned to use his bat as expertly as his cut fastball or split-finger pitch.

Friday night, in the opener of an important four-game series against the San Francisco Giants, not only had another solid pitching outing in a 7-3 Dodger victory before 48,744 fans at Dodger Stadium, but he also contributed to a healthy offensive attack that included a Pedro Guerrero home run.

Facing off against 15-game winner Rick Reuschel, the Dodgers manufactured five runs through six innings before Guerrero added a sixth and reliever Ron Davis. Leary, easily the Dodgers’ best hitting pitcher, played a major part. He laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved a runner into scoring position in the second inning, resuting in the Dodgers’ third run and knocked in the game-winning RBI in the sixth with a sacrifice fly.

The victory moved the National League West-leading Dodgers 2 1/2 games in front of both the Giants and Houston Astros, who lost to the San Diego Padres.

Leary obviously wasn’t the only Dodger to contribute. Catcher Mike Scioscia, apparently warming to the unusual role as the No. 2 hitter in the lineup, responded with 3 hits and 2 runs batted in. Scioscia’s production made up for a rare off night for Kirk Gibson and Mike Marshall, who had been carrying the offensive load recently.

Ample run production was especially important to the Dodgers on this night, because Leary wasn’t at his most dominating on the mound, which is where the Dodgers really depend on him.

Leary (12-8), who had allowed only 35 walks in 23 starts before Friday, struggled with his control early before settling down. But Leary struggled all night against Kevin Mitchell, who homered in the fifth and had three hits against Leary.

Even at less than his best, Leary made it into the ninth inning before faltering. He gave up a walk to Brett Butler and a single to Ernest Riles to put runners on third and first. On came reliever Jesse Orosco, who struck out Will Clark for the second out. Then Alejandro Pena was brought on to face Mitchell and struck him out to end the game.

In his last seven starts, Leary has allowed a total of 9 earned run. Not surprsingly, he has a 5-2 record in that span. But never mind his pitching stats. Check out Leary’s batting average. After going 1-for-2 Friday night, Leary is hitting .306 with 8 RBI.

Reuschel, the Giants’ most reliable pitcher simply because he is one of the few who hasn’t been hurt this season, was knocked around early before hitting stride in the middle innings. But his demise came in the sixth inning, when the Dodgers broke a 3-3 tie with two runs.

The linchpins of the Dodgers’ go-ahead rally turned out to be two infielders struggling at the plate--Dave Anderson and Alfredo Griffin. They hit consecutive singles off Reuschel to open the sixth, bringing Leary to the plate with runners on first and third.

Leary worked the count to 3-and-2, then fouled off two pitches before lofted a fly to right field deep enough to score Anderson for a 4-3 Dodger lead. After walking Sax, Reuschel was replaced by Craig Lefferts, who gave up a run-scoring single to Mike Scioscia, who had three hits that were important to Dodger rallies.

Griffin, meanwhile, was 5-for-35 since returning from his wrist injury before getting two hits Friday.

And Guerrero, who was 2-for-25 coming into Friday night’s game, gave Leary another run with which to work in the final two innings by hitting a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the seventh off Ron Davis, the journeyman pitcher who briefly pitched for the Dodgers last season. --please get run--

By a quirk of scheduling, the Dodgers had not faced Reuschel in the three previous series between the teams. Apparently, though, unfamiliarity bred contentment for Dodger hitters, who knocked around the Giants’ 15-game winner from the outset.

They pounced on the veteran right-hander for two runs in the first inning and another in the second before Reuschel returned to normalcy and became difficult to hit.

And, by the sixth inning, the Giants seized upon a rather ordinary night for Leary and caught the Dodgers, 3-3, after getting two runs in the fourth and Mitchell’s bases-empty home run in the fifth.

Mitchell has been Leary’s tormentor this season. On July 27, in Leary’s last start against the Giants at Candlestick Park, Mitchell hit a second-inning solo home run off Leary that was the only run he gave up through nine innings in an eventual 2-1 10-inning loss.

The night began as if the Dodgers were going to shatter the notion that they play poorly at home.

In the first inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs against Reuschel after Sax walked, Scioscia’s single and another walk to Gibson. At that point, though, Reuschel made his best pitches of the early innings to the Dodgers’ best hitters.

After throwing three straight balls to Guerrero, Reuschel got the struggling slugger to ground to third, where Matt Williams forced Sax at home plate. The Giants barely missed doubling up a slow-moving Guerrero. Marshall then struck out for the second out, but Shelby delivered the game’s first big hit.

With the Giant outfielder playing Shelby, batting left-handed against the right-handed Reuschel, to hit to left field, Shelby pulled a fastball into shallow right field. Candy Maldonado gave chase, but the ball landed in front of him, allowing Scioscia and Gibson to score for a 2-0 Dodger lead.

Reuschel didn’t improve much in the second inning. He gave up a leadoff single to the slumping Griffin, who was then sacrificed to second base by Leary. Up came Sax, who was jammed by Reuschel’s first pitch. but he nonetheless deposited a run-scoring single into right field for a three-run advantage.

The Giant bullpen, which usually is idle during the early innings of Reuschel’s starts, was active. Reuschel’s shortest start this season was Aug. 2, when he lasted only two innings against Houston, but he was forced to leave that game with a minor hamstring injury.

Leary wasn’t exactly at his best in the early innings, either.

The Giants staged a first-inning rally comparable to the Dodgers’. The obvious difference, though, is that the Dodger rally reached fruition, while the Giants were thwarted.

Singles by Robby Thompson and Mitchell and a walk to Maldonado presented Leary with a bases-loaded predicament with two outs. Bob Melvin grounded up the middle, but Griffin fielded the ball on the run behind second base, waited for Sax to cross in front of him and then beat Maldonado to the bag.

Another walk began an abbreviated Giant rally in the second inning, which Leary was able t overcome thanks to a double play on Reuschel’s sacrifice-bunt attempt.

Leary, however, finally succumbed to the seemingly constant pressure from the Giants in the fourth inning, though it wasn’t entirely his fault.

With one out, Williams hit a hard liner to left-center. Shelby seemingly got a late jump on the ball and tried to make a diving catch. But the sailed underneath his glove to the wall for a double. Jose Uribe, the next batter, then smashed a triple into right-center to score Williams. The Dodgers’ lead was then trimmed to 3-2 when Reuschel successfully executed a squeeze play, though it would have been nothing more than a force out had Scioscia held onto the ball.

Known for his proficiency at blocking home plate, Scioscia had plugged all of Uribe’s paths to the plate. But when Leary fielded the bunt in front of the mound and scooped to Scioscia, the catcher dropped the ball upon impact.

Dodger Notes

Ramon Martinez, the 20-year-old minor league pitching sensation who will make his first start tonight, arrived in Los Angeles before Friday’s game from the Dodgers’ triple-A club in Albuquerque. He said he was not surprised to be activated. “It depended on how I had pitched,” said Martinez, who was 5-2 with a 2.76 earned-run average for Albuquerque after starting the season with double-A San Antonio. “I’m doing fine. I’m ready for anything tomorrow (tonight). If they want me to pitch here, I’ll pitch here. I think I’m pitching the same. I just have more confidence now.” Martinez will be part of a four-man rotation. And, although he has not pitched on three days’ rest either at San Antonio or Albuquerque this season, Martinez said it should not cause problems. “Yeah, I can do that,” he said. “My arm feels good. I guess it all depends on how I throw.”

Fernando Valenzuela, on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury, met briefly with Dr. Frank Jobe before Friday night’s game. “Jobe talked to Fernando, just to see how he was feeling,” trainer Bill Buhler said. “We want to get Fernando on the cybex and see how his muscle strength is. If the strength is up to where we want it, we’ll see about tossing (a ball).”

Don Sutton was released two days ago, but it is hard to tell. He stayed behind a day in Cincinnati to play golf and kibbutz with former teammates, and he pitched in the bullpen before Friday night’s game before clearing out his personal effects from the clubhouse. Sutton is expected to clear waivers Monday, and he said he wants to remain in pitching shape in case a team decides to sign him. “If there’s a chance, it’ll have to be in the next week or so,” Sutton said. “After that, I don’t know whether I’ll be able to pitch. I think the situation for me would be very limited.”

Jeff Hamilton, on the disabled list since July 27 with a cartilage separation on his 12th rib on the left side, was examined by Jobe before Friday’s game, but there still is no timetable for his return. Hamilton has been limited to riding an exercise bike, but Buhler said Hamilton will soon begin light weight training. “It’s gotten better,” Hamilton said. “It’s not popping out anymore, but I haven’t really tested it. When I used to move it a certain way, it would feel like somebody was stabbing me in the ribs. It was a burning sensation. I want to get back as soon as I can, because you hate to sit and watch. But I don’t want to aggravate it and be out maybe for the season.”