Dodgers Beat Astros, 5-2, but Lose Gibson

If indeed as Kirk Gibson goes, so go the Dodgers, then the team is facing a rocky path.

The oft-injured Gibson, who returned to the lineup this month after hamstring surgery in August, left the field because of a strained groin muscle during the first inning of Monday’s 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros.

The outfielder, who has appeared in only 14 of the Dodgers’ 64 games this year, will be examined today by Dr. Frank Jobe.

Before much of the crowd of 27,199 had settled in at Dodger Stadium, Gibson singled, rounded first base, lingered for a minute, then walked off toward the dugout.

He was examined by Jobe, then left the stadium in something less than a chipper mood, according to assistant trainer Charlie Strasser.

“He said he felt it strain when he started to make the turn at first,” Strasser said. “I wouldn’t say he was in pain, but he was upset. Whether it’s major or minor, he was starting to get his stroke, and he doesn’t like setbacks.”

In his 12-year major league career, Gibson has managed to play only four relatively injury-free seasons--the last being 1988, when he was voted the National League’s most valuable player. And he hobbled through the last month of that season.

Gibson’s latest injury took some luster off the Dodgers’ third consecutive victory and Tim Belcher’s first since May 23. Belcher improved to 5-4 and Jay Howell got his third save--his second in two days--by pitching a perfect ninth inning.

Kal Daniels and Eddie Murray led the offense with two runs batted in apiece. The Dodgers got to Astro starter Bill Gullickson (4-5) and three relievers for four runs in the third inning, aided by Rafael Ramirez’s error that preceded Daniels’ two-run double, and another run in the seventh on consecutive singles by Stan Javier, Daniels and Murray.

Daniels got three of the Dodgers’ 14 hits. Murray singled and tripled and Hubie Brooks got the team’s fifth RBI with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly.

Belcher was not overpowering, striking out only three and giving up nine hits, but he pitched into the eighth inning and was hurt only by single runs in the fourth and eighth innings, the first coming on Glenn Wilson’s leadoff home run in the fourth.

“He made the pitches good enough to get them out when he needed to,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said.

Belcher also got solid relief from Jim Gott, who replaced Belcher in the eighth and struck out two to shut down an Astro rally.

“This was my best outing of the year,” Gott said. “It’s been a long time coming back. . . . Belcher did a great job and it was nice to come in and shut the door. I felt great. It’s been a year since I was able to smile on the mound.”

The victory pulled the Dodgers to within a game of third-place San Diego. Houston, which swept the Dodgers in a three-game series in Texas last week, lost its 10th consecutive road game.

The Dodgers improved to 19-15 at Dodger Stadium. It remains to be seen how long Gibson will be out.

Dodger Notes

Before his groin injury Monday, Kirk Gibson had been saying that his surgically repaired hamstring was feeling stronger, and that switching back to rubber cleats helped. Gibson said he had worn rubber cleats while rehabilitating but had been using filed metal spikes when he returned to the lineup.

With their No. 5 starters producing an 0-8 record, the Dodgers will try a four-man rotation through the All-Star break. The Dodgers are off the next two Thursdays, prompting the new rotation of Tim Belcher, Fernando Valenzuela, Ramon Martinez and Mike Morgan. . . . The Dodgers are 21 for 53 with the bases loaded this season, good for 52 runs. Mike Sharperson, who had a two-run single Sunday, is three for seven with the bases full.

Lenny Harris saw his career-best eight-game hitting streak end Sunday, but walked and scored a run and is still hitting .400 in the leadoff spot. He started in place of Juan Samuel at second base for the third consecutive game Monday.

Mike Scott, tonight’s starter, has an 18-11 career record and 2.84 earned-run average against the Dodgers, his best against any team. He is 8-5 at Dodger Stadium. . . . National League home run leader Glenn Davis, who was resting a sore back Monday, has 163 homers in his career, second in Astro history behind Jim Wynn’s 223.