Dodgers Again Slam Door on Giant Party

This clinching has become a clenching, of the San Francisco Giants’ teeth, fists and bats.

For the second consecutive night against the second-worst team in their division, the Giants again failed to leave the field as the National League West champions Tuesday.

Stumbling over Dodger rookie starter Ramon Martinez, Dodger veteran reliever Jay Howell and old-fashioned Dodger hustle, they lost to Los Angeles, 2-1, while the San Diego Padres were defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 3-1.

Holding a four-game lead over the Padres with four games remaining, the Giants still need one victory or a Padre loss to clinch their second title in four years. In tonight’s series finale, they could become the first visiting team to clinch a regular-season title in Dodger Stadium’s 28-year history.

The good news for Giant fans: They have not been swept in a series this season. The bad news: They had better not get swept tonight, because they finish their season with three games in San Diego.

“We do not want to have to go in there and win it,” Giant outfielder Pat Sheridan said. “I’ve been in this situation before, and for a second-place team to get the leader on their field . . . it’s like they see the light at the end of the tunnel. And when they see that, anything can happen.”

More good news for the Giants is, tonight they will bring out ace starter Scott Garrelts and his 14-4 record. On the other hand, the Dodgers will start their hottest pitcher, Tim Belcher, with his six-game win streak.

And the Giants, if Tuesday is any indication, won’t be the only ones showing the fire of a pennant contender.

After falling behind on a first-inning home run by Will Clark, the Dodgers tied the score on a run-scoring infield single by Martinez in the fifth and then went ahead for good on Eddie Murray’s run-scoring double-play grounder in the sixth. The grounder followed a perfect hit-and-run single to left field by Lenny Harris that sent Willie Randolph from first to third base.

“We decided we don’t want anybody partying on us,” Randolph said. “If they want to win the thing, fine. But do it in San Diego.”

Before 27,622 fans Tuesday, the Dodgers finished in perfect spoiler style. For a second consecutive night, the Giants, who had come back to beat the Dodgers in three consecutive games last week, saw a late-inning comeback attempt end before anyone had crossed home plate.

With two out in the ninth, after Martinez had walked Kevin Mitchell and Ernest Riles to put runners on first and second, Jay Howell was summoned to face Matt Williams. Their duel lasted two seconds, as Williams grounded a hanging curveball to shortstop Alfredo Griffin to end the game.

Said Williams: “I should have hit it better.”

Said Howell: “It’s not the first time I’ve gotten away with that. I was just glad to see that everything Ramon did tonight did not go up in one pitch.”

Martinez closed out his season with his third victory in the last four starts, finishing 6-4 while lowering his earned-run average to 3.19. If nothing else, he will head for vacation knowing he has left an impression.

“All I did was try to get them to swing the bats,” Martinez said.

That they did. By the time the game was three batters old, the Giants had scored on Clark’s 23rd homer of the season, his first hit since returning from last week’s knee injury. But after Clark’s blow, Martinez retired 24 of the next 27 Giants and escaped two jams before leaving in the ninth.

After Clark hit a one-out single in the seventh, on the next pitch Martinez retired Mitchell on a pop-up to third base, then struck out Riles.

With two out in the eighth, Sheridan singled to right field, and Ken Oberkfell got his 16th pinch-hit of the season, a single to center. But on the next pitch, Brett Butler flied to right to end the inning.

“He pitched one of the best games of his life,” Butler said.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, had been stifled by Giant starter Kelly Downs on one hit until the fifth, when they tied the score on a couple of plays that left the Giants moaning. After John Shelby followed Mike Scioscia’s single with a double-play grounder, the Dodger fun started.

Jose Gonzalez chopped a ball in front of--and then over--third baseman Williams. The ball died in shallow left field, and Gonzalez reached second with a double.

Then pitcher Martinez, with five major league hits, was allowed to bat for himself. His ground ball sent Williams deep behind third base, and Martinez was safe at first. Clark then threw home, but the throw bounced, Gonzalez dived, and catcher Terry Kennedy dropped the ball without making a tag.

With the score tied, Randolph started the sixth with a line-drive single to right. Randolph and Harris executed a perfect hit-and-run, with Harris lining the ball to left for a single and Randolph going to third. Murray grounded the ball to second baseman Robby Thompson, who started a double play, Randolph scoring. While Murray didn’t get credited with a run batted in, the Dodgers had the lead.

“I wanted this game more than any game I’ve ever pitched in the major leagues,” Downs said.

Dodger Notes

Tim Belcher will take his last shot at the National League strikeout title tonight, needing eight to pass St. Louis’ Jose DeLeon, who leads with 196. But DeLeon will make one more start for the Cardinals Sunday while Belcher, although he could pitch Sunday’s finale on three days’ rest, will have no more chances. Interestingly, Belcher pitches better than normal on three days’ rest--he’s thrown two career shutouts that way. “But I wasn’t going to ask them for that last start, it’s not my style,” Belcher said. “Anytime you do something like that, something bad always happens. You go out there trying to strike out people and everything goes wrong. I’m satisfied with one more start. It’s been a good year.” Belcher has already clinched the league’s shutout lead with seven.

Jeff Hamilton will end the season with an injury he hopes will disappear in the winter--a sore right shoulder. He hurt it last week when he took a grounder off the collarbone, and the pain has since spread so that “it feels heavy to even lift my arm,” Hamilton said.