Gibson’s Debut Is Soured as Dodger Bullpen Flops

If the Cincinnati Reds’ relief pitchers are nasty boys, then the Dodgers’ have gotten downright ugly.

A sellout Dodger Stadium crowd that came to cheer Kirk Gibson ended up jeering the bullpen again Saturday night as the Reds beat the Dodgers for the second time in row, 8-3.

The first-place Reds dropped the Dodgers into third in the National League West, 10 games back and a game behind the Padres. They did it by scoring three runs in the eighth inning against relievers Tim Crews and Pat Perry--highlighted by a two-run throwing error by Perry--as the Reds broke away from a 3-3 tie.

Crews took the loss, falling to 1-2. Red reliever Norm Charlton (4-1) got the victory.

“This is . . . bottom,” Perry said.

Gibson, returning from hamstring surgery he had last August, was in the lineup for the first time since July 22, and 47,918 cheered his every move. He was given a standing ovation before his first at-bat, when he flied out to the right-field fence. Gibson was hitless in four at-bats with a strikeout and handled three chances in center field.

“I either do the job or I don’t, and tonight I didn’t do the job,” Gibson said.

Doing the job for the Reds were outfielders Paul O’Neill, who went four for four with two home runs, and Eric Davis, who had a homer and double and three runs batted in.

The Reds broke through when Crews replaced Tim Belcher opening the eighth. Barry Larkin bunted for a single and Davis doubled him home. O’Neill was walked intentionally before Perry came in. The first batter, Todd Benzinger, hit back to the mound sharply. Perry gloved it, fumbled the ball, thought about throwing to second, then threw wildly to first. The ball bounced into foul territory, two runs scored and Benzinger ended up on third.

“I thought I made a real poor throw, though (first baseman Mickey Hatcher) told me he should’ve caught it,” Perry said. “That’s a double play ball, if we turn it we get out of the inning. Even if we get the one out, we’re still in the game.”

The Dodgers got to starter Jose Rijo for a first-inning run as he walked two of the first three batters and Hubie Brooks hit a run-scoring single.

But after a scoreless first, Belcher had trouble in the next three innings, especially with O’Neill. The Reds’ right fielder led off the second and fourth innings with his fifth and sixth home runs.

The Reds also scored in the third when Billy Hatcher led off with a double and scored when Brooks dropped Larkin’s blooper to right for an error.

“My fastball left me in the second inning,” Belcher said. “It was good enough if I locate. If I don’t locate it, then it’s a lot of souvenirs for the pavilion.”

Rijo settled in after the first inning, retiring 17 in a row until he tired opening the seventh. After Brooks and Mike Scioscia singled, Red Manager Lou Piniella quickly brought in Rob Dibble, who wasn’t the answer. Juan Samuel slashed a double to left to tie the score.

But the rest of the Reds’ so-called nasty boys didn’t falter. Charlton came on to get the last two outs of the inning and strand Samuel at third, then pitched a scoreless eighth. Randy Myers pitched the ninth and struck out the side after Mike Sharperson opened with a triple.

Davis capped the Reds’ onslaught against the bullpen in the ninth, hitting a home run off Jim Gott for the second night in a row.

“I feel great,” said Gott, making his fourth appearance since returning from arm surgery.

“Get a fastball up to Eric Davis, you see what happens. You’d think I’d learn my lesson.”

For the Dodgers’ bullpen, the hard lessons just seem to keep coming.

Dodger Notes

Juan Samuel extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his seventh-inning double. Samuel is hitting .457 during the streak. . . . Kal Daniels saw his five-game hitting streak end. He is hitting .382 in the last 15 games. . . . Lenny Harris is .418 over the last 16 games and .378 in the leadoff spot.

Eddie Murray remained out of the starting lineup for the third consecutive game because of a sore hamstring but pinch-hit for the third night in a row. . . . Today’s game, Cincinnati’s last appearance here until July 30, is sold out.

At the start of play Saturday the Reds had the best record in baseball, were leading the league in hitting (.281) and pitching (2.71 earned run average) and were tied for second in fielding. . . . The last time the Reds held a lead larger than nine games in the NL West was at the end of the 1976 season, when they went on to defeat the New York Yankees and win their second consecutive World Series championship.