Dodgers Escape Braves, 4-3, Pull Within 8 of Reds : Baseball: Martinez earns his 13th victory as the club gains ground on Cincinnati for the sixth consecutive day.

During spring training, Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda told Ramon Martinez he was capable of winning 15 games this season.

“He looked at me,” Lasorda said, “like I was crazy.”

That is the same look Lasorda has received when he has said his Dodgers still are in the pennant race.

But in the last week, he is being taken more seriously.

The Dodgers’ 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves Sunday at Dodger Stadium before 34,975 was the club’s fourth in a row and sixth in the seven games of the home stand.

The Dodgers, 51-48, picked up ground on the slumping Cincinnati Reds for the sixth consecutive day. Thirteen and one-half games back at the low point, the Dodgers are eight behind, the closest they’ve been since May 31.

In the next 11 days, the Dodgers will play the teams ahead of them five times each. The Reds will start a two-game series tonight at Dodger Stadium. The second-place San Francisco Giants will follow for a makeup game. Then, the Dodgers will play four in Candlestick Park and three in Riverfront Stadium.

“When we were losing, people were walking around with their heads down,” Dodger third baseman Lenny Harris said. “But we’ve played too much baseball to fall down now.”

Friday night, the Dodgers beat the Braves despite leaving a club-record 25 men on base. Saturday, they won despite trailing by three runs with two out in the ninth inning.

Sunday, a key blow was a pop fly in the fifth inning by Alfredo Griffin that Atlanta second baseman Mark Lemke lost in the sun.

“Right from the start, I didn’t judge it right,” said Lemke, who was filling in for the injured Jeff Treadway. “By the time I looked up, I had lost it in the sun. You don’t want to lose sight of the ball.”’

When he did, it fell behind him for a single that gave the Dodgers two base runners with one out and the score 1-1.

Martinez sacrificed to advance the runners before Stan Javier hit a two-run single. After Javier stole second, Mike Sharperson singled him home.

Sharperson had scored the Dodgers’ first run in the first inning. His double had been followed by ball hit by Kal Daniels that bounced over Lemke’s head.

Martinez (13-4) struck out nine in eight innings and walked only one.

“I threw some high pitches,” Martinez said. “Today, I did not feel like I felt before. So, I tried to throw some breaking balls.”

Those high pitches produced only two groundouts all afternoon. And the Braves teed off on several. Jimmy Kremers tripled to right in the third inning and scored Atlanta’s first run on a sacrifice fly by Lonnie Smith.

The other two Brave runs came on home runs: Jim Presley’s 17th of the season deep into the left field pavilion in the seventh inning and pinch-hitter Tommy Gregg’s fourth to right field in the eighth.

Tim Crews took over for Martinez in the ninth inning, but the Braves didn’t go quietly.

Ron Gant opened up the final inning by laying down what looked like a perfect bunt.

But home plate umpire Ed Rapuano motioned Gant back, indicating the ball had hit him.

Gant had to be restrained as he went after Rapuano.

Even after the game, Gant remained incensed.

“It (the ball) didn’t touch me,” he insisted. “When he called me back, I thought the ball had rolled foul. But it didn’t come close to me.

“Besides, from where (Rapuano) was standing, he couldn’t see anything. The third-base umpire called it fair. He or the first-base umpire could see, but not the guy at home plate. He must have been in a hurry to get the game over. That’s the only explanation I can think of.”

It didn’t take long after that. Gant bounced to third, Presley flied to right and Dale Murphy struck out.

The last time the Dodgers were this close to the division lead, they also were playing Cincinnati. The Reds then won three in a row, outscoring the Dodgers, 15-5.

“The Reds don’t mean a hill of beans to me,” said Daniels, a former Red. “They are just another ballclub.”

Dodger Notes

Starter Charlie Leibrandt (4-4) took the loss for Atlanta. . . . Although he continues to struggle, the Dodgers will give Terry Wells another shot at the fifth spot in the rotation. He has been announced as the starter for Wednesday’s game against the Giants.

DODGER ATTENDANCE Sunday: 34,975

1990 (53 dates): 1,947,448

1989 (53 dates): 2,076,847

Decrease: 129,399

1990 average: 36,744