Dodgers Offer Padres Hope, Snatch It Back : Lasorda Enjoys 2-1 Birthday Win as San Diego Fails to Gain on Giants

The baseball came rolling across the field two weeks ago into the Padre dugout. Manager Jack McKeon picked it up and was about to toss it back when he noticed an inscription.

“We’ll take care of the Giants for you.”

McKeon looked across the field. There was Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda waving. McKeon acknowledged him, smiled, and all of a sudden felt quite confident about the Padres’ chances of catching the Giants.

Thanks for nothing, wise guy.

The Dodgers, coming off three consecutive defeats at Candlestick Park, returned to Dodger Stadium Friday night and delivered what just might be the Padres’ most damaging defeat of the season, 2-1, before a crowd of 24,887.

Oh, what a scam it proved to be.

They drive the Padres psychotic by leading late in each of the three games against the Giants, only to blunder their way into defeat.

They tantalize the Padres by showing the Giants losing on their scoreboard, 3-1, to Houston.

Then, they show them the nearest couch for their breakdown.

This is the same team that looked so hapless against the Giants?

There was John Shelby covering center field like Willie Mays, catching everything in his path.

There was Jose Gonzalez, starting in right field only because of Mike Marshall’s injured back, hitting his first home run in six weeks, and just the third of the season.

There was Tim Belcher pitching a three-hitter, with his only mistake occurring on a fastball to Benito Santiago that sailed over the center-field fence.

There was the Dodger middle-infield combination of Alfredo Griffin and Willie Randolph going four for eight with a double.

Why, the Padres kept asking themselves, couldn’t these guys do the same thing against the Giants?

“I can’t fault Tommy,” McKeon said. “He didn’t like losing those games against the Giants any more than we did. In fact, knowing Tommy, he hates the Giants worse than we do.”

Not to be nit-picking or anything, but isn’t he the same guy who sold you on his Slim-Fast liquid diet?

“Well, I did lose nine pounds at the beginning,” McKeon said, “but I gained it right back. I don’t think I was following the directions right.”

And this is the same guy you put your faith in, to lend a helping hand?

“It would have been nice,” McKeon said, “but if we’ve learned anything these past few weeks, we learned we can’t count on anyone. We had to keep winning ourselves, and we didn’t do it.”

The Dodgers, quite cruelly, actually saved their ultimate tease for the ninth inning.

Bip Roberts led off the inning with a walk. And when Jeff Hamilton’s throw to second was too late on Roberto Alomar’s sacrifice, the Padres had runners on first and second with the heart of their order up.

All they needed was one hit into the outfield by their No. 3 through No. 5 hitters to tie the game, and two hits to go ahead.

Tony Gwynn popped up to shortstop; Jack Clark fouled out to catcher, and Chris James fouled out to catcher.

The Padres still remain mathematically in contention, five games behind the Giants.

Realistically, despite winning 24 of their past 31 games, they are in trouble. Big trouble.

Just eight games remain, and the Giants’ magic number for clinching the division is down to four.

What was an agonizing night for the Padres turned out to be quite a nice birthday party for Lasorda, who turned 62.

“I know what I’d like to get him,” one Padre muttered.

Lasorda got a cake from Dodger owner Pete O’Malley with a replica of a baseball diamond. Lasorda didn’t seem to notice that the player on the cake was wearing No. 7, instead of Lasorda’s No. 2.

The coaches and trainers gave him a portable compact disc player, complete with tapes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Phantom of the Opera.

There were balloons. There were flowers. There was candy. And, oh, how there were telephone calls.

One well-wisher even sent his birthday greetings by telex to Dodger Stadium.

“Here, this is from Ron,” Dodger publicity director Mike Williams said.

“Ronnie who?” Lasorda barked.

“Ronald Reagan,” Williams said.

Lasorda: “Oh, that Ron.”

It was a day on which Lasorda was even asked to be the grand marshall of a parade in Newark, N.J., where a street will be named after him.

“Today, I became a senior citizen,” Lasorda proudly proclaimed.

He also became the most hated man in the Padre clubhouse.

Dodger Notes

If the Padres retain reliever Mark Davis, as promised, they will have to shell out at least $6 million for three years, according to sources around the league. The Padres could have saved themselves about $3 million by signing Davis this spring when Alan Hendricks, his agent, informed the Padres that Davis would be willing to sign a two-year contract for $2.3 million. Padre President Dick Freeman turned down the deal. Now, six months and 41 saves later, the stakes have escalated and could rise even higher if the Padres wait until Davis files for free agency. “We’re going to talk the moment the season ends,” Padre General Manager Tony Siegle said. “There are no charades. We know what we’re up against. We hold very few aces. But I guarantee you, we’ll get it done. I just can’t tell you how much it’ll cost us.”

Cincinnati Reds center fielder Eric Davis, eligible for free agency at the end of the 1990 season, is telling friends that playing for the Padres would be his first choice and playing for the Angels is his second. And the Dodgers? Not interested, Davis says.

Although he totaled just three innings of work, Dodger pitcher Mike Morgan was thankful to have appeared in both the Wednesday and Thursday games in San Francisco. Before that, he had not appeared in 12 days. He openly wonders what happened to a pitcher who compiled a league-leading ERA throughout most of the season’s first half. “I can see going with the younger guys, but what about the guys who have been here all year?” Morgan asked earlier last week. “I am thankful for everything they have done for me here--my career has turned around here--but I am just not sure what happened to my work.” Morgan, who will be a free agent after the season, was cost a chance at qualifying for the league’s ERA leadership by his recent inactivity.