Dodgers No Match for Magrane, 2-1 : Cardinal Pitcher Wins on 5-Hitter

Joe Magrane seems to be gaining an appreciation for his teammates.

Magrane pitched a five-hitter for his third straight victory as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1, Tuesday night.

“It keeps everybody in the game,” Ozzie Smith said of Magrane’s effort. “His last two outings have been very indicative of what can happen if he allows the guys behind him to play.”

Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog said Magrane needed only 76 pitches to get through the first eight innings of the game, which was played in two hours and 12 minutes.

“He threw 12 in the ninth. He threw 10 of them to (Mike) Marshall,” Herzog said. “He’s capable of going out there and throwing that kind of game every time.”

Magrane, who has been bothered intermittenly by tender elbow, relied heavily on his fastball to beat Los Angeles for the second time this season.

“He proved you don’t have to strike everybody out to win; you’ve just got to get them out,” Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda said. “Magrane kept the ball down and got ahead of the hitters.”

The Cardinals scored two runs in the first inning off Fernando Valenzuela, 4-7. Jose Oquendo followed Vince Coleman’s double and 44th consecutive successful stolen base with a sacrifice fly. Ozzie Smith then doubled and scored on Pedro Guerrero’s single.

Magrane, while lowering his earned-run average to 3.24, struck out one and walked two en route to his fourth complete game in his last six starts.

Since coming off the disabled list on April 30, Magrane has a 7-4 record and a 1.85 ERA. Overall, he is 8-6.

“If there’s one thing I really want to do it’s be able to win all the close games,” Magrane said. “That can’t happen all the time, but I can do a better job than I was before.”

Mickey Hatcher tripled with two outs in the first inning on a drive that got past Milt Thompson in right-center and scored on a wild pitch.

It was the Cardinals’ fourth victory in five games. The Dodgers lost for the fifth time in seven games.

Guerrero’s RBI was only his third in 17 games. Coleman, who was last caught stealing on a pickoff play last Sept. 15, has stolen 38 bases -- tops in the major leagues -- this season.

Valenzuela allowed four hits and struck out six before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the seventh.

“The only way we can win games , since we’re not hitting, is to pitch a shutout,” Lasorda said in describing Los Angeles’ biggest problem. “Fernando pitched a good game, but we’re not hitting.”