Mets Get Dodgers Where It Hurts : Gibson Exits Early; New York Wins 10th in 11 Against L.A., 2-1

The clinical diagnosis of Kirk Gibson’s debilitating injury, which forced him to leave Saturday’s game after three innings, was a strained right gluteus maximus. A pain in the buttock, in simpler terms. Gibson’s description, as one might imagine, was more graphic. As uncomfortable as the injury might have been to Gibson, a bigger and continual pain in the, uh, gluteus maximus for the Dodgers have been the New York Mets, virtually unbeatable whenever they face their probable opponents in next month’s National League playoffs. With Gibson sitting--albeit gingerly--most of this one out, and Mike Marshall still out with a strained right quadriceps muscle, the Dodger offense was hardly a match for Dwight Gooden, who increased, rather than eased, the Dodgers’ pain.

This time, the Mets recorded a deceptively easy 2-1 victory over the Dodgers before 43,896 fans at Shea Stadium and a national television audience, as Gooden recorded his 16th win and reliever Randy Myers got his 21st save.

Whether it be a blowout, such as Friday night’s debacle, or having to eke out a win, the Mets have dominated the Dodgers. The Mets have won 10 of 11 games between the teams going into today’s final meeting of the regular season. The Dodgers--who are 5 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Houston Astros, 7 in front of the surging Cincinnati Reds and 7 1/2 ahead of the San Francisco Giants--have lost three straight after opening this trip by winning five in a row.

With Gibson, who was given an anti-inflammatory shot afterward, and Marshall both expected to miss today’s game, Dodger chances of winning No. 2 from the Mets aren’t favorable. Gibson, like other Dodger players, says he is not worried about the Dodgers’ inability to beat the Mets, but he was concerned about his injury.

“I was just running the bases (in the first inning), and I felt something in the back of my leg, and I was hoping it wasn’t my hamstring (an old injury),” Gibson said. “It was very sore and I felt a burning sensation. The next inning it knotted up, so I stood on one leg in the outfield.

“I left the game because I didn’t want it to be a situation where I’m out six weeks, four weeks or even two weeks. I think I got it early enough. I don’t think it’s severe. As much as we want to win now, it’s not do or die. I don’t want to be in a position where I’m out for a long time.”

Having scored two runs in the second inning off Dodger starter John Tudor, who pitched nearly as well as Gooden, the Mets maintained the lead the rest of the afternoon behind Gooden’s pitching, Myers’ relief and solid defense.

The Dodgers, who have scored only 18 runs in 11 games against the Mets, mounted threats against Gooden in the first, fifth and ninth innings but wound up with only one run to show for it.

In the first, Gibson singled and stole second base, feeling pain in his right buttock. He was stranded at second as John Shelby grounded out, the pain increasing when Gibson ran to third base.

In the fifth, two innings after Gibson’s departure, the Dodgers scored their only run of this series to date. Franklin Stubbs beat out a bunt for a single, stole second and scored on Mike Scioscia’s single.

Later in the inning, the Dodgers had Scioscia on third and Alfredo Griffin on second with one out. But with the Mets’ infield playing deep, Steve Sax hit a hard grounder to first base that Keith Hernandez deftly fielded. He threw to home plate well ahead of the onrushing Scioscia. A rundown ensued, Scioscia and Griffin both winding up on third base. Griffin was called out. Gooden then struck out Danny Heep to preserve a 2-1 lead.

The Dodgers’ final threat came in the ninth, when Mickey Hatcher singled off Gooden, who was then replaced by Myers. After Shelby struck out, pinch-runner Jose Gonzalez stole second. But Myers got pinch-hitter Tracy Woodson to ground out and pinch-hitter Rick Dempsey to strike out.

Except on June 1, when the Dodgers scored their lone victory over the Mets, all the endings here at Shea Stadium have been the same--Met Manager Davey Johnson strolling out of the dugout afterward to congratulate his pitcher, while the Dodgers exit as quickly as possible.

In 11 games against the Mets, the Dodgers are hitting .213. So futile has the Dodger offense been that Manager Tom Lasorda canceled batting practice before today’s game.

Sax is the Dodgers’ MSP--most struggling player. He went hitless in four at-bats Saturday and is 4 for 34 in his last 8 games, making outs even when he has hit the ball sharply. That’s what happened with runners on second and third in the fifth inning. Sax hit a one-hop shot that Hernandez nabbed.

“If I had dribbled that ball, the run would have scored because the infield was back,” Sax said. “It never goes right when you’re in a slump. I know I can hit. It’s just a matter of time before they fall in. I kind of expect something like that to happen, considering the way I’m going.”

Lasorda focused most of his attention on Sax’s hard-hit grounder because it not only came during the Dodgers’ best scoring chance of the day but because it was one of their few well-hit balls.

“If the infield’s playing in, we score a run,” Lasorda said. “But Hernandez makes a great play, and we get nothing. Then, you look at that ball (Met catcher) Barry Lyons hit. It looked like one of those birds that was shot.”

Lasorda was referring to Lyons’ bloop single down the right-field line that scored Kevin McReynolds for the Mets’ second run off Tudor in the second inning. The Mets had taken a 1-0 lead when McReynolds lined a double to left field to score Darryl Strawberry, who had singled to center. Tim Teufel’s fly ball moved McReynolds to third, from where he scored on Lyons’ blooper. “Fate lost this game for us,” Gibson said. “Hatcher’s ball (in the first inning, with Gibson on second base) goes foul down the line, but Lyons’ goes fair. We played good today. Both pitchers did well. They won. That’s just the way it turned out.”

Story of the Dodgers’ life--against the Mets, that is.

Dodger Notes

When a radio reporter from New York asked Tom Lasorda, for seemingly the 10th time in the last two days, whether this series was a portent of the playoffs, the Dodger manager seethed. “I’m not talking about previewing nothing,” Lasorda said. “You’re talking about a game 30 days from now. Talk to me about today.” . . . Kirk Gibson said he usually feels soreness a day after an anti-inflammatory shot. “But who knows, I may feel good and play tomorrow,” he said. “The trainers said it was day-to-day, but I figured, let’s get the shot and see what happens. I was just glad it wasn’t my (right) hamstring again. I’d be out longer with that.” . . . Dwight Gooden improved his career record against the Dodgers to 7-1. In 103 innings against the Dodgers, Gooden has a 1.13 earned-run average.