Dodgers Can’t Stop Phillies Know Howell : Pitcher Beats Ex-Teammates Again as Philadelphia Wins, 4-1

Ken Howell, traded by the Dodgers last December, indicated two weeks ago that he was somewhat uncomfortable facing his former teammates.

Obviously, he has now taken a liking to it.

For the second time in 12 days, the stocky right-hander befuddled the Dodgers, pitching the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-1 victory Tuesday night before a crowd of 32,199 at Dodger Stadium.

“It’s not a situation where I wanted to come back and bury my old teammates,” Howell said. “I only want to show myself that I can pitch in the major leagues.”

And if and he was able to do both, all the better.

Howell gave up only three hits in eight innings, giving way in the ninth to Steve Bedrosian, who got the final three outs for his fifth save.

Howell (5-2) gave up only one hit, a fourth-inning double by Mike Scioscia, in his last 7 2/3 innings, retiring 23 of the last 27 batters he faced after yielding back-to-back singles in the first inning.

He walked two and struck out six.

His dominance made a loser of Dodger starter Fernando Valenzuela, who is 0-4 and whose last victory was against the Atlanta Braves last June 14.

And this time Howell faced a more formidable lineup than the one he limited to four hits in seven innings of a 3-0 victory May 12 at Philadelphia.

This one included Kirk Gibson, who came off the disabled list to play for the first time in almost a month.

Not even Gibson could figure out Howell after lining a single to left in his first at-bat. Gibson, who hadn’t played since April 25 because of a hamstring injury, struck out and twice grounded out in his last three at-bats.

How did his leg feel?

He didn’t want to talk about it.

“I’m playing,” he said. “You know how I feel about that. It’s not an issue. I made it through. We lost. I’m disappointed. I stayed within myself. I didn’t really have to run that hard tonight.”

Gibson took exception when a reporter asked him to comment on Howell’s contention that Howell had been lucky, and got away with several mistakes.

“Who was the winning pitcher?” Gibson asked. “And so who had the best stuff? He was the winning pitcher, so obviously he had pretty good (stuff), didn’t he?”

Certainly better than Valenzuela, who lasted five innings.

Valenzuela was in trouble early.

In fact, pitching coach Ron Perranoski visited him after he walked the Phillies’ first two batters, Juan Samuel and Dickie Thon.

Samuel eventually scored on Mike Schmidt’s sacrifice fly, but Valenzuela might have escaped the inning unscathed if not for first baseman Eddie Murray’s ill-advised play. Murray, to the obvious dismay of catcher Mike Scioscia, inexplicably cut off a strong throw to the plate by Mike Davis, who had chased down Schmidt’s fly ball in shallow right field.

Singles by Davis and Gibson and a walk by Murray in the first preceded a run-scoring force by Scioscia that pulled the Dodgers even.

Valenzuela, whose pitches registered between 77 and 82 m.p.h. on the Dodgers’ radar gun, then retired 11 of 13 batters, giving up only an infield hit by Howell as he breezed into the fifth inning.

But with two out and Steve Jeltz on second base--he walked and was sacrificed to second--Valenzuela yielded a check-swing single to Thon, whose grounder pulled Murray far off the bag at first base.

A good throw probably would have beaten Thon, but Murray threw behind Valenzuela, who was unable to hang onto the ball.

Chris James then lined a run-scoring single to center, Schmidt followed with a run-scoring single through Valenzuela’s legs and, after he retired Ricky Jordan to end the inning, Valenzuela was through for the night.

The Phillies’ lead was 3-1 and Chris Gwynn batted for Valenzuela to lead off the inning.

Valenzuela said he felt “pretty good,” and Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda thought Valenzuela had thrown well.

“They didn’t hit the ball hard off him,” Lasorda said.

Howell, meanwhile, helped himself in the eighth, doubling to the left-field corner off reliever Alejandro Pena to score Jordan.

It was Howell’s time on the basepaths--in addition to singling in the second, he walked in the sixth--that prompted his departure and kept him from registering the first complete game of his career.

“I ran a lot today,” he said.

Literally, as well as figuratively.

He ran circles around the Dodgers.

Dodger Notes

To make room on the roster for Kirk Gibson, the Dodgers sent utility infielder Mike Sharperson to their triple-A affiliate at Albuquerque, N.M. . . . The nine-game home stand, which will also include three-game series against the New York Mets this weekend and the Montreal Expos next week, will end a 33-game stretch for the Dodgers against teams from the Eastern Division. . . . Shortstop Alfredo Griffin, on the disabled list with a sprained right thumb, took batting practice from the left side. Griffin, who had not batted since May 2, the day after he was injured against the Pittsburgh Pirates, was unsure when he would be able to hit from the right side.