Another Blow to Dodgers : Baseball: Rookie Neidlinger pitches well, but Carter homers off Howell in the ninth as Giants win, 2-1.

That unlikeliest of occurrences, a pitchers’ duel involving the Dodgers’ fifth spot in the rotation, came to pass Wednesday.

Jim Neidlinger, making his major league debut and trying to fill the spot that has troubled the staff since Orel Hershiser was injured, threw six innings of one-run ball and assured himself of another start.

However, two veterans dampened the rookie’s opening night when Gary Carter hit a leadoff home run in the ninth inning off Jay Howell to break a 1-1 tie and Don Robinson threw a complete-game four-hitter to beat the Dodgers, 2-1, before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 36,453.

The Dodgers, who moved back into the National League West race on this home stand, suddenly take a two-game losing streak onto the road, where they have had problems. The loss dropped them 3 1/2 games behind the second-place Giants and nine behind the division-leading Reds, while the Giants remained 5 1/2 out.

Robinson, improving to 8-1, was hurt only by Mike Scioscia’s fifth-inning home run. The Dodgers’ only other uprising came in the ninth, when Kal Daniels disputed a third strike hotly enough to be ejected. Robinson retired the last nine batters.

Neidlinger’s effort was followed by two perfect innings of relief by Tim Crews. But the resurgent Carter--playing first base with Will Clark nursing a strained groin--hit Howell’s third pitch of the ninth into the left-field pavilion, his second homer in two games. Howell’s next nine pitches were strikes, but the damage was done. He fell to 3-5.

“I told the players in the ninth all I need is one run,” Robinson said. “I had everything working tonight--the curveball, the fastball. Knowing the Reds had already won, we needed a win.”

Neidlinger worked six solid innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in a 1-1 tie. The slender right-hander, who has always given up more hits than innings pitched in the minors, allowed seven hits but was in real trouble only in the third, when the Giants scored the game’s first run.

Neidlinger, who struck out three--all called--walked only one batter, but paid for it. Brett Butler drew a one-out walk in the third and scored on consecutive singles by Mike Kingery and Rick Leach. But Neidlinger got the Giants’ most dangerous RBI man, Matt Williams, on a grounder and struck out Carter to get out of the inning.

The Giants threatened again in the sixth when two of the first three hitters singled, but Neidlinger coaxed Robby Thompson to hit into a double play to end the inning.

“I had butterflies, but after the first couple of pitches I treated it like another game,” the 25-year-old Neidlinger said. “I tried to get ahead of the hitters and not walk anybody. I really didn’t try to envision anything. I think it will probably all hit me later, the first game and all that.”

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said Neidlinger “will start five days from now when we need a fifth starter. He did a real good job. You give that club one run in six innings, you’ve done a good job.”

Scioscia said he remains encouraged by the Dodgers’ recent play despite the past two games. “The pitching has come around,” he said. “Jay Howell is still one of the premier relievers in baseball. It’s not good to lose ground, it’s a half-step backward, but not something we can’t turn around,” he said.

Giant Manager Roger Craig branded his team “amazing” for continuing to win despite injuries to Clark and Kevin Mitchell, and said the Dodgers are still a factor, especially if they do well in the four-game series in San Francisco.

“It’s gonna be a tough run,” Craig said. “We have a chance to catch (the Reds). The Dodgers are still in it, too. They always play us tough.”

On Wednesday, Don Robinson played tougher.

Dodger Notes

X-rays of Juan Samuel’s sprained left ankle were negative, injured in Tuesday’s game against the Reds, but Samuel didn’t suit up or take batting practice Wednesday. He’s listed as day-to-day. . . . Mike Morgan, also nursing an ankle sprain, is expected to make his scheduled start Saturday. . . . Giant slugger Kevin Mitchell missed his fourth consecutive start Wednesday. He received an anti-inflammatory shot in his sore wrist last weekend.

Giant pitcher Don Robinson narrowly avoided a bizarre injury in the fourth inning when he was so intent on fielding Kirk Gibson’s grounder that he almost didn’t notice Gibson’s broken bat hurtling toward his head. He ducked away just in time. . . . Mike Scioscia’s fifth-inning home run was his 10th, tying his career high. . . . Eddie Murray hit .357 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs in July. Murray extended his hitting streak to 12 games Wednesday. . . . Mike Sharperson hit .348 in July. . . . The oft-maligned Dodger bullpen has a 1.37 earned-run average over the last 52 2/3 innings and has allowed only 10 runs over that period.

They were still talking about Kal Daniels’ near home run Tuesday night, a line drive caught by the Reds’ Eric Davis in deepest center in the seventh inning. It would have given the Dodgers a lead in what turned out to be a 5-2 loss. Batting instructor Ben Hines, who mans the first-base coaching box, said it would be tough to hit a ball harder. “I thought it was gone. In the first base box I said, ‘ Yeah! ‘ . . . (then) nothing,” Hines said. “He must’ve hit it so flush it didn’t have any backspin and stayed down. That ball was smoked.” Daniels was so sure the ball was going out he jumped in frustration when his former teammate caught it. Said Davis: “If it stayed in the ballpark I knew I had it. I was a step from the wall. He hit it good, but not good enough.”