Murray Provides Good News : Dodgers: He stays hot in 8-1 victory over Braves, but Hamilton will not return this season and has to decide whether to have more surgery on his shoulder.

It was evident Thursday in the clanging balls off the outfield seats, the oohs of the fans, the slaps of the high-fives that suddenly reappeared in the home team’s dugout.

The Dodgers are never so loud as when they are pulled along by Eddie Murray.

Led by the first baseman who seemingly hasn’t taken a bad swing in a week, the Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves, 8-1, before 31,461 at Dodger Stadium.

Murray extended his hitting streak to six games by showing all of his best stuff. He hit his 15th homer. He doubled. He fought off a fastball for a check-swing RBI single. And he drew a walk after falling behind 0-and-2.

“When Eddie hits,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said, “we score runs.”

Murray’s efforts, plus a homer by Kal Daniels and nine other Dodger hits, gave Tim Belcher his fourth win in five starts. And Belcher didn’t even have to throw a one-hitter. He was removed after six innings, during which he allowed one run on three hits to improve his record to 9-7.

The evening provided the Dodgers with some much-needed good news, because soon they will receive the disturbing news that injured Jeff Hamilton will not play again this season.

Before Thursday’s game, Hamilton said he has decided to either undergo a second shoulder surgery or rest the shoulder until next year.

The Dodger third baseman, who has been on the disabled list since April 21 and underwent arthroscopic surgery May 4, reached the decision after an exam Tuesday by Dr. Frank Jobe. Hamilton’s shoulder has continually hurt since the surgery, such that he can’t lift a suitcase or even swat at a bug without discomfort.

Jobe recommended a month of complete rest, and then more extensive surgery if the shoulder did not improve. Such a surgery would require as much as six months of rehabilitation.

Hamilton said he does not like the idea of surgery on a problem that is still ambiguous, and he does not think that a month of rest will help.

“So I offered my own option, of not doing anything until next year,” said Hamilton, who has not taken batting practice for 10 days and is still in pain. “And I will do one or the other. Right now, I feel like taking the second option and avoiding surgery, but my mind changes every minute. Either way, I am done for the year.”

Jobe said Hamilton’s problems could be caused by the location of the rotator cuff tear, which he discovered but did not fix during the first surgery because the tear was located in the substance of the tendon instead of tearing clear through the tendon.

“Usually when it’s in the substance like that, it will heal with rest and rehabilitation,” Jobe said Thursday. “But with Jeff, it hasn’t gone that well.”

Jobe said he did not think avoiding surgery would be a good choice.

“I don’t think that’s a viable option for this reason: If it doesn’t heal over the winter, then he is lost for next year, too,” Jobe said. “He has to think about his career.”

Hamilton’s absence has been softened by fine season from platoon replacements Lenny Harris and Mike Sharperson, who had three hits Thursday against right-handed pitching while making his first major league start at shortstop. Combined, Harris and Sharperson are hitting .308.

The entire Dodger offense has played well in this home stand. Led by Murray, they have accounted for 30 runs on 46 hits in four games.

During his six-game streak, during which the third-place Dodgers have won four games to pull to within 11 games of division-leading Cincinnati, Murray has 11 hits in 23 at-bats for a .478 average. He has three homers and eight runs batted in and has scored eight runs. Overall, he has increased his average to .305 with a team-leading 51 RBIs.

“The ball has just been falling, that’s all,” Murray said. “A sign of how good you are going is how many different things are happening to your hits. To hit .300, you either have to be able to run, or you have to get some bleeders and bloopers and things like that. I just hope the balls keep falling.”

Also in impressive streaks are the two men who hit in front of Murray. Kirk Gibson, who doubled and scored a run Thursday, has hit in four consecutive games with a .378 average during that time. Daniels, who added a single to his 15th homer, has an eight-game hitting streak.

Considering the three men have been playing in the same lineup with some consistency only since June 2, the Dodgers must wonder what an extra two months would have meant to their pennant chances.

“Everybody is starting to feel comfortable together,” Sharperson said. “That makes a difference.”

With the score tied, 1-1, in the sixth inning Thursday, Belcher made the Dodgers uncomfortable by walking Jim Presley and Dave Justice to start the inning. But then he struck out Tommy Gregg after Gregg fouled off eight pitches and retired Jeff Blauser on a foul to the catcher. After walking Greg Olson with the bases loaded, Belcher fooled pitcher Marty Clary into a groundout to end a 41-pitch inning.

“I felt like I was pitching a doubleheader out there,” said Belcher, who was made a winner when Daniels led off the sixth with his tiebreaking home run.

Dodger Notes

If his rehabilitation continues as scheduled, Orel Hershiser will be pitching batting practice before the end of the season. According to Dr. Frank Jobe, the Dodgers want Hershiser to enter the winter phase of his rehabilitation with some of his pitching rhythm. “Even if you get the shoulder strong and get a full range of motion, you still need to do a tremendous amount work on the rhythm of throwing because of the way that rhythm affects the shoulder,” Jobe said. “Before the season ends, we would like for Orel to start working on that rhythm and mechanics.”

The preliminary hearing in the Pittsburgh City Court for infielders Alfredo Griffin and Juan Samuel on charges of simple assault has been postponed from July 31 to Aug. 27. The Dodgers are off that day, and play in Philadelphia the next day, so the players will be able to attend. Griffin, who is still suffering from a swollen eye and is scheduled for another examination today. Mike Sharperso had appeared in five games at shortstop in his 2 1/2-year career.

Bill Bene, the Dodgers’ first pick in the June, 1988 draft, fell to 1-9 for Class-A Vero Beach Wednesday by giving up five runs in one-third of an inning with five walks. . . . After a celebrated shave earlier this season, Rick Dempsey is growing his mustache back. . . . The California Egg Commission, which sponsors today’s autographed ball giveaway, will be interested to see that the prominent autograph underneath their logo belongs to Willie Randolph, who has not been a Dodger since May 13.