Hershiser Has the Numbers in 2-0 Victory

Before Friday night, the numbers staring back at Orel Hershiser from the screen of his portable computer, which he uses to log information about his outings, have not corresponded with his self-evaluation.

The cold, hard statistics showed that Hershiser had a 3-4 record with a 4.76 earned-run average in his previous eight starts, and an even more disquieting 1-2 record and 8.40 ERA in his previous three starts. Then there was his most recent outing last Sunday, a two-inning bombing that was the worst start of his career.

Yet the ever-positive Hershiser insisted that he was not in a slump. Not even a lull.

Whatever it was, Hershiser came out of it Friday night, pitching a five-hit shutout as the Dodgers posted their fifth consecutive victory by defeating the Montreal Expos, 2-0, in front of 36,217 fans at Dodger Stadium.

Hershiser’s outing, so dominating that he needed only Mike Marshall’s two-run home run in the fourth inning as support, was the kind the Dodgers expect from their supposed ace in a rotation that now includes John Tudor and 20-year-old sensation Ramon Martinez.

“I just hadn’t been making good pitches,” Hershiser said. “I didn’t think it was a slump; I was just not executing. I don’t really think one start relates to the other, except as motivation.

“I don’t like to call it a slump, because then you think you’re in them and you have to get out of them. I made last Sunday’s start inspire me tonight. I got knocked around and embarrassed the club. Tonight, I just wanted to work as hard as I could as long as I could.”

Perhaps proving that his previous struggles were atypical, Hershiser deftly worked out of the few jams he faced. Two of the five hits he allowed did not leave the infield, and he took care of the Expos in a very efficient 106 pitches.

Hershiser said he went into Friday night’s game with the attitude of a short reliever, meaning that he pitched as if every out were the last one he needed to secure a win. His thinking was that, if you put enough of those outs together, you have a win. Or, in Hershiser’s case, a shutout.

“You just throw as hard as you can, and if you run out of gas, you run out of gas,” Hershiser said.

Despite the recent, er, slump, Hershiser still is among the National League pitching leaders in several categories. The victory Friday was his 17th, tying him with Cincinnati’s Danny Jackson for the league lead.

Whereas two nights earlier, the Dodger Stadium crowd gave Tudor a standing ovation after his complete-game Dodger debut, many fans Friday night were on Interstate 5 by the time Hershiser forced pinch-hitter Dave Martinez to ground to second for the game’s final out.

Hershiser, secure about his ability and place on the team, seemed more amused than slighted by the non-gesture from the fans after his third shutout of the season.

“As it says in the Bible, ‘A prophet is not always well-known or well-liked in his own town,’ ” Hershiser said. “It doesn’t bother me. Sometimes, when you go to a new town, you get appreciated a little more. Maybe I should have gone out there with No. 30 (Tudor’s number) on.”

Hershiser’s effort certainly was appreciated in the Dodger clubhouse. Another outstanding pitching outing was needed to offset a slim offensive output by Dodger hitters against loser Dennis Martinez (14-9), who pitched almost as well as Hershiser. Marshall made Martinez pay for one of his rare mistakes, knocking his 18th home run over the left-field fence for a 2-0 lead.

“Martinez pitched a great game, but Orel was just a bit better,” Marshall said. “We’ve been winning games recently with pitching.”

Added Manager Tom Lasorda: “He pitched a great game. I wish I knew what was wrong. He ain’t suffering too bad. He’s won 17 . . . games.”

Hershiser, using his short reliever thinking, survived the first inning. That was an accomplishment, considering that, in two of his last three starts, he had allowed four runs before all the fans had taken their seats.

In the early innings Friday night, Hershiser had two scares but pitched out of them each time.

In the second inning, Hershiser made his third error in the last two games, this one on Nelson Santovenia’s chopper to the third base side of the mound. Hershiser fielded the ball on the run and made a throw that sailed at least 5 feet over first baseman Franklin Stubbs’ head. Santovenia, who was credited with a single, went to second on Hershiser’s error. But the threat was ended when Rex Hudler broke his bat grounding back to Hershiser, who this time had no problem with the throw.

In the fourth inning, the Expos hit Hershiser a little harder. Andres Galarraga, who is batting .309, doubled to left-center, narrowly beating Mike Davis’ throw. Galarraga moved to third on Hubie Brooks’ groundout, bringing up Tim Wallach. Hershiser got Wallach to pop up his first pitch to Stubbs at first, and Santovenia’s broken-bat grounder to Hershiser ended that threat.

“The tide could have turned there, had they executed,” Hershiser said.

In the third inning, the Dodgers blew a scoring chance similar to one the Philadelphia Phillies blew against the Dodgers the previous day.

Tracy Woodson was on third after a single, an error by Brooks in right and a groundout by Alfredo Griffin. The Dodgers called a squeeze play with Hershiser at bat. The Expos called for a pitchout, and Hershiser’s lunging effort to make contact missed. Woodson was caught in a rundown and was quickly tagged out.

Except for the second and fourth innings, Hershiser breezed into the late innings. He had only one strikeout going into the fifth, but then he used his sinking fastball to record four strikeouts in the next two innings. The spell was broken with two out in the sixth inning, when Wallach doubled to right-center field. But Hershiser was unflappable, forcing Tom Foley to fly to center for the third out.

Dodger Notes

Before Friday night’s game, Mario Soto pitched his fifth simulated game. He threw 54 pitches and showed the best mechanics on his windup yet, according to observers. Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ executive vice president, said that if Soto recovers from the outing without pain in his right shoulder, he probably will be put on a rehabilitation assignment at Class-A Bakersfield. Soto must be activated by Aug. 31 to be eligible for possible postseason duty. Claire, however, said Soto will not be rushed to return by the end of the month. Said Soto of his progress: “I’ve felt a lot better the last two times out. I believe it’s about time to go out and throw a few innings. Reliever Alejandro Pena, who was unavailable to pitch Thursday because of tightness in his shoulder, did not receive treatment before Friday’s game and was available to pitch, according to assistant trainer Charlie Strasser. . . . Jeff Hamilton, who has been on the disabled list since July 27 with a rib cartilage injury, apparently is close to being activated. On Friday, he took batting practice for the second time and fielded ground balls in the infield for the first time. “It hurt a little bit (fielding), not bad,” Hamilton said. . . . Center fielder John Shelby said he asked for and received a night off Friday. “It may be the last one I get,” Shelby said. . . . The Dodgers’ Tim Belcher (9-4) opposes John Dopson (3-7) tonight at 7:30.