Fundamentally, Dodger Bats Trip Up Defense in Loss to Astros

The Dodgers have known all season that bad hitting is contagious. Tuesday night, they learned just how contagious.

In a defensive blunder inspired by the fear that they might not score another run, the Dodgers tried in vain to throw out Craig Biggio, representing the tying run, at home plate after an eighth inning single by Glenn Davis. In the process, Davis trotted from first to second base.

A couple of pitches later, Davis scored the winning run on Glenn Wilson’s single, capping a three-run inning and giving the Houston Astros a 3-2 victory in front of 11,212.

Afterward Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda wasn’t so upset that his team has blown a lead in the seventh inning or later for the 10th time this season. He wasn’t outwardly angry at Alejandro Pena for giving up the winning run, or at the Dodger offense for failing to put a runner on base after the fifth inning.

His gripes were much more fundamental.

“You never let the winning run go to second base,” he said. “We made another basic mistake.”

It couldn’t have been that basic. Those involved gave it plenty of different explanations.

The incident occurred after Biggio’s one-out, run-scoring double off Pena pulled the Astros to within 2-1. A strikeout later, Davis lined a ball in front of left fielder Lenny Harris.

Before Aug. 23, Harris had not played the outfield since high school. But he knew what he was going to do with this throw. He sent it flying home to catch the quick Biggio.

“That man is the tying run, I’ve got to get him,” Harris said. “I did my job.”

By the time the ball was in the air, though, Biggio had rounded third and seemed certain to score. At this point, it was the job of third baseman Jeff Hamilton to decide if he should cut the ball off and throw to second to stop Davis from advancing into scoring position. He decided against it.

The ball bounced to the plate after Biggio slid around catcher Mike Scioscia. The run scored while Davis was striding into second base.

“That was the key,” Lasorda said. “The cutoff man gets the ball, throws it to second, we get Davis and the game is tied.”

Hamilton, who at times has struggled in the field in his second full season, said he wasn’t in a position to make the cutoff decision. He said he hoped to hear something from catcher Mike Scioscia.

“I was playing too deep, I was too busy trying to get back near the bag for the throw, I couldn’t see the runner until it was too late,” Hamilton said. “Sometimes Mike will shout, but I didn’t hear anything.”

Scioscia said it is difficult to shout above the noise of a domed stadium, which would leave the decision with Hamilton.

“Realistically, it’s hard to make that call in this place. He can’t hear me,” Scioscia said. “But even if I could yell, I would have told him to let the ball come through. I thought we had a chance at making the play. I like playing aggressive defensively.”

Scioscia shrugged and finally offered the obvious, ultimate explanation.

“When you are swinging the bats like we are, you can’t play soft,” he said. “On the road, you can’t give a team a tie. You just can’t.”

So there you have it. It all goes back to the hitting which, incidentally, further fell apart in the ninth.

The Dodgers’ comeback bid went the way of strikeout, strikeout, strikeout--all against a relief pitcher who was appearing in his first game since going out with a sore elbow Aug. 19.

“There were no problems with the elbow,” said Larry Andersen, who collected his third save. “I had more problems with my legs. I was so jittery. I felt like I was trying out for a Little League team.”

Only two innings from falling below second place for the first time since June 6, all the Astros are on firmer ground today. After reading that they were finished in the morning papers Tuesday, they ended the night one game closer to the National League West-leading San Francisco Giants, tied with San Diego in second place at six games behind.

“We showed a lot of character,” Astro Manager Art Howe said. “Everybody is counting this team out, saying they can’t do it. But there’s something inside them that won’t let that happen.”

Dodger starter Ramon Martinez turned Howe’s statements into baloney in the first seven innings Tuesday, facing just four batters above the minimum 21, holding the Astros to just three singles. He left the game after pinch-hitter Eric Anthony’s leadoff single in the eighth, and wound up allowing one run on five hits. It was his first good outing since Aug. 7, a span that included two losses and two no decisions.

“It’s a real shame to have this happen to him; he really looked good,” Lasorda said.

Martinez was helped by Mike Marshall’s RBI single in the fourth and Billy Bean’s RBI double in the fifth. But Bean ended that inning being thrown out at home plate by right fielder Wilson on a single by Willie Randolph.

And against starter Rick Rhoden and relievers Juan Agosto and Andersen, the Dodgers failed to reach base again. The final strikeout victims were the middle of the order--Eddie Murray, Marshall and Hamilton.

Murray was wronged (according to the replay) on a check-swing. Instead of ball four, it was ruled a foul-tip strike three by home plate umpire Harry Wendelstedt. After a brief argument with the umpire, both Lasorda and Murray quietly returned to the dugout. By then, the Dodgers had already blown another one.

Dodger Notes

In the fourth inning Tuesday, Jeff Hamilton grounded into a double play for just the second time since the All-Star break. His nine double-play grounders are not the fewest among regulars on the team, however. Mike Scioscia and Alfredo Griffin have grounded into just four double plays each. . . . Houston left fielder Kevin Bass left the game in the sixth inning with a stained right elbow. The Astros were already playing without second baseman Bill Doran, who left Monday’s game with a strained lower back.