It’s Something Wild as Mets Beat Dodgers

This season’s trendy nickname has been given to several relief pitchers, but truly belongs only to one.

Ask any number of baseballs that have ended up covered in dirt. Dodger rookie pitcher John Wetteland is the Wild Thing.

In threatening a Dodger record that has stood for 31 years, Wetteland’s 12th wild pitch of the season scored Darryl Strawberry from third base in the seventh inning Tuesday, giving the New York Mets a 2-1 victory in front of 36,756 at Dodger Stadium.

The wild pitch ruined the debut of Wetteland’s slow curveball, one that helped account for a career-high 10 strikeouts. It ruined a night that was so impressive that Met second baseman Gregg Jefferies sent Wetteland a note: “You pitched a helluva game.”

Wetteland said he appreciated the note. Now, if Wetteland can only stop sending batters a different kind of note, one that reads “Duck!”

“I can accept the wild pitches because that comes from being aggressive, that’s part of my game,” he said. “But I cannot accept them costing me the game.”

Wetteland, who spent the first two months of the season in the minor leagues, is nearing the Dodger club record of 17 wild pitches set in 1958. He is heartened by the fact that record was set by Sandy Koufax. But Wetteland also wonders if Koufax was ever hurt by the wildness the way he was Tuesday.

With Wetteland dueling winner David Cone in a 1-1 game, Strawberry started the seventh with a double down the left-field line. Kevin McReynolds, who hasn’t laid down a sacrifice bunt this season, decided to bunt for a base hit. The Dodgers were surprised, and the bunt rolled untouched between first and second base for a single, with Strawberry moving to third and Keith Hernandez coming to the plate.

“Anytime you can get a guy to third base with a big hitter up . . . that can put pressure on the pitcher,” Met Manager Davey Johnson said.

That’s exactly what happened. Wetteland put Hernandez in a 1-and-2 hole but then, in his own words, “I tried too hard.”

A fastball that was supposed to be high and outside went down and inside, bouncing at Hernandez’s feet and rolling to the backstop. It scored Strawberry. The Dodger offense only managed one baserunner after that in falling to the Mets for a second consecutive night.

Wetteland, who has as many wild pitches as any two Dodger pitchers combined, shook his head.

“I’ve got to realize, I’m on the level as these guys, I can pitch to these guys,” he said. “I’ve got to stop trying to do too much. I can get them out just being myself.”

Tuesday should help. He gave up five hits over seven innings. His 10 strikeouts doubled his previous high. Of 104 pitches, 70 were strikes.

Wetteland pitched good enough to beat most pitchers Tuesday. But not with the Dodger offense struggling and Cone on the mound. Cone gave up only four Dodger singles, all on grounders, only one of which left the infield. Considering Cone’s history, it figured.

About the only bad start he has had against the Dodgers came in last season’s second playoff game, when he wrote uncomplimentary things in a newspaper article and then was racked for five runs in two innings. Usually, he keeps his typewriter and the Dodger bats shut.

In two regular-season games against the Dodgers last year he won twice, giving up two earned runs in 13 2/3 innings. Two weeks ago, in his first start against them this year, he won, 3-2, by giving up two runs in eight innings.

After he set them down 1-2-3 in the first, the Dodgers scored their only run in the second on three grounders. Eddie Murray led off with a slow roller that shortstop Kevin Elster threw into the Met dugout for a single and an error, putting Murray on second. One out after Jeff Hamilton’s grounder moved Murray to third, John Shelby grounded a ball past first baseman Hernandez to score Murray.

It was Shelby’s eighth RBI this season, and his first since June 7. But it was all the Dodgers would get. They managed only one hit after the second inning, In the seventh, Mike Scioscia hit a grounder that skipped past Hernandez. But Scioscia was stranded on first after a bad Shelby bunt and failures by pinch-hitter Alfredo Griffin (pop out) and Mickey Hatcher (fly out).

Cone said he was inspired by Frank Viola’s 1-0 shutout of the Dodgers Monday.

“Anytime you see a good game like that, you want to follow it with another one,” Cone said. “It has a contagious effect on a pitcher. You don’t want to drop the baton.”

Wetteland, meanwhile, said he thinks his good start will still carry over to his next start, despite the loss.

“Heck, I strike out some hitters on wild pitches,” he said. “I’m not going to stop trying those things. I tried that slow curve tonight and, even though it goes in the dirt, it works. A lot of those pitches work.”

Dodger Notes

Kirk Gibson wasn’t the only Dodger to undergo left knee surgery Tuesday. Franklin Stubbs underwent a successful operation to repair a ruptured ligament. Doctors expect him to be ready for 1990 spring training.

John Tudor threw 52 pitches Tuesday, and looked good enough to warrant speculation that he could return before the end of the season. Tudor’s first attempted comeback ended after 10 pitches on July 7 in Chicago. He could return in the team’s final series in Atlanta. . . . Outfielder Mike Davis has set Sept. 7 as his target date for returning from a July 7 knee surgery. Davis is swinging the bat well, but is not yet running at full speed. “A lot of things could happen between now and then (Sept. 7), but right now I am shooting for that date,” Davis said.