New Dodgers Forced to Face an Old Futility

This Dodger clubhouse of new faces and attitudes was rudely visited by an old acquaintance Tuesday night: anger.

In a scene reminiscent of last summer, heads were down and words were sharp after a 9-1 loss to Montreal before 12,599 at Olympic Stadium.

Maybe it was the total of five Dodger errors in the seventh and eighth innings, two short of the team record for a game. Maybe it was a poor performance by pitcher Tim Belcher, who gave up Tim Wallach’s first two-home run game since May 4, 1987.

Maybe it was the five hits by the Dodgers against two young pitchers whose names they still might not recognize.

Or maybe it was that they had not played so badly since last season, when some thought they could not possibly play that badly again.

“A terrible night,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said. “A terrible, terrible night. This is the first bad ballgame we have played the entire season.”

Two days before, the Dodger bullpen had given up eight runs in two innings in a 9-5 loss to Philadelphia. You know this game was bad.

The Dodgers’ two-game losing streak equals their longest of the season. And the six-game gap between them and the National League West Division-leading Cincinnati Reds is the widest of the season thus far.

“We did everything wrong that we could possibly do,” Lasorda said. “I’m disappointed. Very disappointed. Very upset. The only good thing I can say is, nobody really got hurt.”

He almost couldn’t say that. Eddie Murray was hit in the left eye with a ball during batting practice. After Murray fouled the ball off the top of the batting cage, it hit the dirt and bounced back into the eye.

Murray was immediately taken to the trainers’ room, where he applied ice to the eye. He decided his vision was too blurry for him to start, but he pinch-hit in the ninth inning, keeping alive his consecutive games streak at 386.

“Thank God, because it could have been a lot worse,” Lasorda said.

Worse for Murray, but not for the Dodgers.

With Murray’s offense missing as Brian Traxler replaced him at first base, the offense could not touch Bill Sampen, making his first major league start.

Sampen was a last-minute replacement for Oil Can Boyd. Boyd was scratched because of numbness in the middle finger of his right hand that brought to mind last year’s blood clots suffered by Boyd while with Boston.

But the Dodgers made sure Boyd was not missed, as Sampen gave up only one unearned run on four hits in five innings.

“I didn’t think in my wildest dreams that I would ever get a win like this,” Sampen said.

Neither did the Dodgers.

“The way I’m swinging, my wife could get me out,” said Juan Samuel, who struck out three times for the fifth time this season. “That guy, he didn’t have anything.”

Said Willie Randolph: “A young pitcher like that might have an advantage because none of us have ever seen him before. . . . But we’ve got to do more. We have got to get more things together.”

Sampen was followed by a relief pitcher with two years of infrequent success in the big leagues, Drew Hall, who gave up one hit in four scoreless innings for the save.

Hall and Sampen made Belcher look like the rookie. After holding the Expos scoreless in the first inning, Belcher gave up five runs on seven hits before leaving after giving up three consecutive hits to start the sixth inning. Wallach hit a leadoff homer in the second and a two-run homer in the fourth.

Belcher has two complete-game victories this season, but has not lasted past the sixth inning in each subsequent game. In his last four starts, he is 1-3 with 5.27 earned-run average.

“To call what I threw tonight a ‘fastball’ is an overstatement,” Belcher said. “Just call it a straight ball. The pitches to Wallach on the home runs were right down the middle. I have got to be more consistent.”

The Dodger defense was fairly consistent before Tuesday, with 17 errors in 26 games. But Samuel, errorless in center field before Tuesday, dropped a fly ball for one error and misplayed the ball while backing up a wild throw to second base from catcher Mike Scioscia for another error. Scioscia’s throw, which bounced off Tim Raines’ helmet and allowed him to score from first base on a steal attempt, was also an error. Two more errors came on a botched double-play grounder featuring wild throws from Randolph and Alfredo Griffin.

Dodger Notes

The Dodgers were treated to a pleasant surprise when Jay Howell, two weeks after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, pitched off a mound for 15 minutes. Howell said he didn’t put full pressure on the knee, but his pitches had catcher Rick Dempsey cheering. “Remember, I didn’t hurt my arm,” said Howell, who added that the knee felt better than before the surgery. “I was still tentative with it, I wasn’t jumping down on it,” Howell said. “But I know it felt better than when I was pitching with it sore.” Tuesday’s workout does not ensure that Howell will be ready to come off the disabled list as scheduled May 16, but it probably won’t take much longer. “If I’m not comfortable out there, I’m not going to rush it just to get my brains beat in,” Howell said. “I want to get so I’m not coming off the mound making excuses.” When reminded that he made no excuses for the sore knee before the surgery, Howell said, “Well, I don’t want to have to lie about anything, then. If I get beat, I want to be able to just say that I’m healthy, and I stunk.”

Kirk Gibson circled the bases twice, but he is still running at less than full speed. . . . Despite claims by the Dodgers that Orel Hershiser has been feeling better since shoulder surgery April 27, Hershiser has not been available for comment since then. Initially Hershiser was suffering from a post-operation flu. Tim Belcher talked to Hershiser by phone last weekend and said he was in a good frame of mind.