Standings Overridden by Dodgers

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes teams play like there are no standings.

Sunday was one of those times for the Dodgers, who today are 11 games out of first place but walking like pennant contenders.

Trailing the San Francisco Giants, 2-1, in eighth inning, the Dodgers used a diving catch, a diving hit, a Jay Howell marathon and a Mike Scioscia ballet to win, 3-2, in 12 innings.

In front of the largest Candlestick Park crowd of the season (53,821) in a game the National League West-leading Giants attacked with playoff desperation (starter Don Robinson was the loser in relief), the Dodgers left the field with more than a victory.

“Sometimes in this game, it doesn’t matter where you are or where you are going to finish,” Randolph said. “Sometimes, you just can’t let teams think they are better than you.”

It was Randolph’s run-scoring double in the eighth inning off Craig Lefferts that tied the score moments after Alfredo Griffin singled. In the bottom of the eighth reliever Howell appeared for the start of four scoreless innings, his longest stint as a Dodger.

Then it happened. Flashbacks.

“It was like the Dodgers of last year,” Giant starter Kelly Downs said. “Everything went their way.”

With Brett Butler on first base and two out in the bottom of the eighth, Will Clark drove a ball into the right-field gap for the potential game-winner. Center fielder Jose Gonzalez made a diving, sliding catch to end the inning.

Four innings later, Scioscia led off the 12th with a ball that found the gap in left field for a double. Billy Bean’s bunt bounced over first baseman’s Clark’s head for a single, moving Scioscia to third.

Griffin grounded a ball to shortstop Jose Uribe for a certain double play that would have left Scioscia at third. But Scioscia charged off third to force a rundown. It worked.

Scioscia kept the Giants busy between third base and home plate until the runners reached second and third.

“I don’t do it very often,” Scioscia said with a grin. “It was just a play we have.”

It is something third base coach Joe Amalfitano frequently discusses with his players. When there are runners on first and third with less than two out and the batter hits a possible double-play grounder, the runner on third must distract the fielder away from throwing to second base to start the double play.

“I had to get out in the rundown and stay there as long as I could,” said Scioscia, who stutter-stepped and deked for what seemed like 30 seconds. “It’s not a nice feeling caught in a rundown. But I had to do it.”

Said Amalfitano: “Sometimes, what you talk about works. And that’s nice.”

With one out and Bean on third, all it took was Mike Sharperson’s pinch-hit fly out to center field to score him with the winning run. Not that it was easy. Behind 0 and 2, Sharperson left his feet to hit an outside pitch.

“I’ve got to hit that ball,” Sharperson said. “I can’t strike out. I’ve got no choice.”

It was as if none of the Dodgers felt they had much choice Sunday, as they played as if their elimination from the division race depended on it. But haven’t they already felt eliminated?

“Eleven games behind is a lot better than 13 games behind,” said starter Orel Hershiser, who allowed two runs and eight hits in seven innings. “We get back from this road trip next week, we have their lead down to single digits, you never know. We could get really hot for one last month and . . . “

At their current rate of progress, they would need about 25 wins in September to have a chance. It’s an unlikely scenario, considering Sunday was only the sixth time they have won a game they trailed after seven innings.

It’s about as unlikely as Howell going four innings, three innings longer than his normal workday, and still pitching nearly perfect.

“I think he can be a starter,” said Hershiser. “He can go four, he can surely go five, and that’s all you need for a win.”

The long stint agreed with Howell (3-3). By allowing just four hits and no runners past second base, he picked up his first win since May 1. He has allowed one run since June 4, a span of 23 appearances. His earned-run average fell to 0.70.

And his unavailability as a stopper meant Alejandro Pena was able to get his first real chance at a save since April 15, when he picked his second save of the season. He now has three, thanks to a perfect 12th inning in relief of Howell.

“I can go nine, sure,” said Howell, not specifying whether he meant nine innings or nine batters.

As a possible hint, he ran across the field from the dugout to the clubhouse as soon as he finished his fourth inning.

“I figured, once I was in the clubhouse, I was out of the game, they couldn’t put me back in,” Howell said.

“Hey, he only threw 41 pitches,” protested pitching coach Ron Perranoski.

Dodger Notes

Sunday was only the second time in 24 starts that Orel Hershiser (14-8) has not received a decision. “That’s because they don’t pinch-hit for me in the seventh inning in a tie game,” said Hershiser, one of the few National League pitchers with that distinction. . . . Hershiser said these final seven weeks of the season can mean more for the Dodgers than a revised place in the standings. “This can be something we can build on for next year,” he said. “A lot of people still don’t know what’s going to happen to the roster. They don’t know who’s coming and who’s going. (Management) still has a lot of decisions to make. How many outfielders do we have? Even if you filter out the young guys, you still have a ton of bodies. What happens to them?” Ten different current Dodgers have worked in their outfield this season. They need five. . . . The Giants were heartened by Sunday’s performance of starter Kelly Downs, making his first appearance since May 1, when he went out with shoulder problems. Downs allowed one run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings. . . . Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda was criticized when he picked Willie Randolph as the National League All-Star reserve second baseman ahead of Houston’s Bill Doran and San Francisco’s Robby Thompson. Their numbers since the All-Star break: Randolph is hitting .258, Thompson is hitting .170, Doran is batting .102. . . . Fernando Valenzuela’s two hits and runs batted in during Saturday’s 5-1 win were no accident. Valenzuela is one of a couple of Dodger pitchers who takes early batting practice on the road.