A Sorry Saturday : Dodgers Squander Two Late Leads, and Howell Has to Pitch Another Two Innings

Those Dodgers looking back on Saturday night’s defeat to Philadelphia and tugging at their hair could be the lucky ones.

Losing pitcher Jay Howell hopes the game won’t cause him to tug at his arm. Or his knee.

Of the many untimely things that occurred as the Dodgers squandered two leads in a 15-12 loss in 11 innings, none could have the lasting effect of the two innings worked by a pitcher who should have been no closer to the game than a radio.

Howell wasn’t supposed to work. He had pitched two innings Friday night in his first official work in 27 days because of arthroscopic knee surgery. His arm was tired and his knee was still unproven.

But after taking a 10-8 lead in the eighth inning, the Dodgers weren’t counting on a combination of ineffective relief by Don Aase and John Wetteland and a throwing error that resulted in four Phillies runs in the ninth.

Then, they after they tied the game in the bottom of the ninth on John Shelby’s two-run double, they weren’t counting on loading the bases with none out and not scoring.

And they weren’t counting on such an empty bench. After nine innings, only four players had not been used--pitchers Tim Belcher, Mike Morgan and Ramon Martinez (Sunday’s starter)--and infielder Brian Traxler.

So to start the 10th inning, looking and feeling like a man who had been summoned out of bed in the middle of the night, here came Howell.

He gave up three hits in the 10th, but survived after a bases-loaded grounder by Tommy Herr and a popout by Von Hayes.

He wasn’t so fortunate in the 11th. He hit Ricky Jordan, gave up a single by John Kruk, and one out later, Dickie Thon singled to load the bases. Then, with two out, Rod Booker tripled to right-center to drive in three runs and give Howell the loss.

“I did my best with what I had, but . . . in the process of coming back and getting healthy, I was very tired,” Howell said Sunday morning. “I had hoped to escape without pitching. But I certainly couldn’t do that. I could have said no. . . . But who were they going to put out there?”