Morgan Goes the Distance in 3-Hitter Against Cardinals

Amid all the talk about how to salvage the Dodger bullpen in the wake of stopper Jay Howell’s knee surgery, Mike Morgan offered an unusual opinion Tuesday.

Don’t use the bullpen.

Morgan made certain the Dodgers did not miss Howell by making certain they did not need him, pitching a three-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 3-0 Dodger victory.

Sure, the bullpen warmed up. For all of five minutes.

“We got up in the ninth inning, but by the time we got loose, the game was over,” reliever Don Aase said.

Said reliever John Wetteland: “It was beautiful.”

Many in the Dodger Stadium crowd of 27,666 were possibly wondering how the relief pitching would survive without Howell, who will miss at least three weeks after Tuesday’s arthroscopic surgery. Morgan showed them that the best remedy is found in good starting pitching.

He retired the final 16 batters. Overall, he struck out six, walked none, and allowed only six balls to leave the infield.

Backed by three runs scored on outs--an fly by Hubie Brooks and grounders by Mike Scioscia and Alfredo Griffin--Morgan had more than enough support.

And now the pitcher who entered the season with the lowest career winning percentage among active pitchers with at least 100 decisions--.347, at 42-79--is 3-0, the fastest start of his career. His ERA is 1.14, the lowest of his career after three games. And 23 2/3 innings into the season, he has still not walked a batter.

“That is my game--control,” said Morgan, a 10-year veteran who could also be talking about controlling his emotions. “I have learned to take things one inning at a time, one batter at a time, one pitch at a time.”

But this business about wanting to throw a complete game because Howell is unavailable, well, understand that of Morgan’s 197 appearances entering this season, 59 have come as a reliever. He appreciates bullpens. “No way was I thinking I have to go nine innings--everybody down there is capable of closing games,” Morgan said. “Heck, I would have been satisfied if I had gone five innings and won.”

While Dodger relievers cheered Morgan, they also wouldn’t have minded a chance to show they can replace Howell. “We loved watching Mike,” said Ray Searage, who was warming up in the ninth with Aase. “But everybody was chomping at the bit to get in.”

At the rate the Dodger starters are going, Searage and friends may stay in the bullpen for a while. Added to Ramon Martinez’s 2-0 shutout of Houston Sunday, the Dodgers have held opponents scoreless for 18 consecutive innings. And Orel Hershiser starts tonight.

“I can’t wait,” Morgan said, who also knows about waiting. Tuesday was his first complete game since 1988, and first shutout since 1987.

The Dodger offense eased some of the worry Tuesday by scoring three runs against Cardinal starter Joe Magrane, who had given them only six runs in five previous starts, going 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA.

Juan Samuel immediately let Magrane know it would be different this time by starting the game with a single to left, then stealing second, then moving to third on Willie Randolph’s grounder, and scoring on Brooks’ fly to deep center field.

The Dodgers scored their other two runs 10 minutes later, in the second inning. Kal Daniels, back from a two-game absence because of a pulled side, started the inning by lining a single to left. Mike Sharperson doubled to right, moving Daniels to third.

Textbook grounders to the right side by Scioscia and Griffin scored both runners and made Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda jump.

“That is exactly the way I want to play--manufacturing runs, fabricating runs,” Lasorda said. “Those grounders were the biggest plays of the game. That’s the best way to win a game.”

Dodger Notes

Jay Howell’s arthroscopic left knee surgery went as expected Tuesday morning at Centinela Hospital Medical Center. He had a piece of torn cartilage removed. Howell returned home Tuesday afternoon, and will begin rehabilitation today at Dodger Stadium. The encouraging news did not diminish the Dodgers’ shock over Monday’s diagnosis that Howell needed surgery. “I think all of us were very surprised about it,” said Frank Jobe, the team medical director. “We knew he had been hurting for four or five days, but none of us expected this.” Said Manager Tom Lasorda: “I heard the news and couldn’t believe it, so I had to call the offices to find out for myself. I can’t tell you how terrible I felt.” Even the Dodger relievers who will be temporarily assigned to fill Howell’s position were stunned. “I was shocked,” John Wetteland said. “It is quite a blow to our club. Any time you talk surgery, you can say when you think a guy is coming back, but you never know. It could be three weeks, it could be six weeks. Obviously we need him. We need him bad.”

Jim Gott, the reliever who the Dodgers hope can replace Howell as the bullpen stopper within a couple of weeks, threw without elbow pain Tuesday. He will throw his third simulated game this afternoon and, if it goes well, he could make a rehabilitation appearance for Class-A Bakersfield this weekend. He could be ready for action by May. . . . The Dodgers recalled infielder Jose Vizcaino from triple-A Albuquerque to fill Howell’s roster spot. Because they have 11 pitchers, the Dodgers did not think they needed another. Vizcaino will be the backup infielder, a spot left vacant when Mike Sharperson and Lenny Harris began platooning at third base, replacing injured Jeff Hamilton. Vizcaino was batting .278 for Albuquerque.