Valenzuela, Randolph Double Their Pleasure

Willie Randolph’s return to the lineup and Fernando Valenzuela’s continued return to form were the catalysts Wednesday in the Dodgers’ 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Randolph, who had missed five games with the flu, went four for four, scored three runs, knocked in another and tied a club record with three doubles.

Valenzuela, who outpitched Pirate left-hander John Smiley, improved to 2-2 and had his second consecutive complete game for the first time since September, 1987. He beat Chicago on Friday, 5-0.

The victory, before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 32,089, allowed the Dodgers to end their home stand with a 7-6 mark.

Valenzuela needed only 113 pitches while stopping a Pirate lineup stocked with right-handed- hitters on eight hits. He struck out four. The only Pirate who was particularly troublesome was third baseman Jeff King, who had three hits, two of them doubles, and scored both Pirate runs.

Pirate outfielder Andy Van Slyke, the only left-handed hitting regular in the lineup, said Valenzuela “showed more velocity than last year, he had good command of his pitches and he changed speeds well.” Cleanup hitter Bobby Bonilla, who managed only a broken-bat single, said Valenzuela “was pretty much on the money.”

Kal Daniels also continued his hot hitting for the Dodgers, going three for four with two runs batted in. In the two-game series against Pittsburgh, Daniels had five hits and four RBIs.

Pittsburgh lost its second game in a row and committed four errors. Smiley fell to 2-3, although he gave up only two earned runs.

The Dodgers got to Smiley in the first inning. Randolph made an immediate impact, doubling down the right-field line and going to third on right fielder Bonilla’s error. He scored when Daniels hit a single to center.

Randolph was in on another Pirate-aided run in the fourth after he led off with a double down the left-field line. Daniels followed with an infield single and Eddie Murray brought the run home with a smash to short that was misplayed by Jay Bell.

“I should be sick more often,” said Randolph, who raised his average to .314. “I still gotta get my strength back. I really felt (bad) out there tonight. I just put the bat on the ball.”

The Pirates got to Valenzuela for runs in the sixth and eighth innings, but the Dodgers got the runs back each time. In the bottom of the sixth, Jose Gonzalez led off with a walk and Randolph scored him with his third double.

The Dodgers added their fourth run--unearned--in the seventh after Alfredo Griffin hit a two-out single and took second on Smiley’s errant pickoff attempt. Valenzuela then hit a single up the middle, knocking Smiley out of the game and building the lead to 4-1.

Pittsburgh scored its second run on King’s double to deep center and Van Slyke’s single up the middle.

The Dodgers scored their final runs in the eighth. Griffin led off with a single and went all the way to third on Doug Bair’s pickoff throw past first--Pittsburgh’s fourth error. Daniels promptly singled through the drawn-in infield. Two batters later, Hubie Brooks added an RBI single.

Pirate Manager Jim Leyland summed it up: “They ran the bases well, hit well . . . they plain old-fashioned beat us.”

Dodger Notes

Outfielder Juan Samuel, in a five-for-30 slump, was out of the starting lineup for the first time Wednesday. Samuel struck out five times in the last two games but singled and scored on Eddie Murray’s home run Tuesday in a 4-1 victory. The Dodgers are 7-2 in games in which Samuel has scored. “I planned on playing them all. I guess I play one less,” Samuel said. . . . Jose Gonzalez started in Samuel’s center-field spot and batted leadoff Wednesday, and Willie Randolph returned to the lineup after missing five games with the flu.

Injury Update: Orel Hershiser, released from Centinela Hospital Medical Center on Tuesday after shoulder surgery, was readmitted Wednesday suffering from dehydration because of the flu. . . . Third baseman Jeff Hamilton, on the disabled list with a rotator cuff tear, was examined by orthopedist Ralph Gambardella and will be looked at by Dr. Frank Jobe today to determine whether surgery is needed. . . . Catcher Rick Dempsey was activated for Friday and Carlos Hernandez was optioned to Albuquerque.

Dodger pitchers lead the National League with seven complete games and four shutouts. . . . Right-hander Tim Belcher, who has two complete games, leads the NL in innings pitched (37 1/3) and is second in strikeouts with 29, trailing the Mets’ Dwight Gooden by three.

In the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game, Pittsburgh cleanup hitter Bobby Bonilla hit the dirt to avoid a Belcher fastball. In the bottom of the sixth, Pirate reliever Randy Kramer’s first pitch nailed Belcher in the posterior. Before Bonilla’s next at-bat in the seventh, he, Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia and umpire Paul Runge discussed the situation. There were no further incidents and after the game it appeared to be over. “He wasn’t throwin’ at me,” Bonilla said Wednesday. Scioscia said, “It wasn’t our intent to knock him down.” Belcher was also willing to turn the other cheek: “I’m surprised he took exception to that pitch. The ball was under his hands and he dives into it. The way he’s hitting he has to expect to see some tight pitches. And (Kramer) is going to have to hit me a lot harder to hurt me there.” Belcher is the only Dodger pitcher to be hit by a pitch this year. He has been hit twice. “It’s part of the game,” he said.