Little Hitting Goes Far, Beats Dodgers, 3-2 : Baseball: Braves score two runs in seventh inning without a hit against relief pitching that falters again.

Maybe their problem is this city, where in summer the pace slows and the air sticks to your skin.

Or maybe it’s Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium. Just before “Rocky Top” was played over the loudspeakers Friday, a woman in the left-field bleachers became so warm she removed most of her clothes.

Whatever it is, for the third time in four nights here this season, the Dodgers played like a bad country and western song in losing, 3-2, to the Atlanta Braves.

They offset 10 hits and a fine pitching performance from Mike Morgan by stranding 10 runners and allowed the Braves to score the winning run without a hit before 27,627.

Afterward, catcher Rick Dempsey spiked a filled paper cup into a trash can. Mike Sharperson stared blankly. Manager Tom Lasorda, for once, could offer no clues.

“I don’t think I have to say anything,” Lasorda said.

In falling to eight games behind first-place Cincinnati in the National League West, the Dodgers clung to a 1-1 tie until Morgan and relievers Tim Crews and Ray Searage helped the Braves to two runs in the seventh inning.

The RBIs came on a groundout by Greg Olson and a fly by Jeff Treadway.

Morgan opened the inning by walking .124-hitting Ernie Whitt, who had already grounded into two double plays.

Morgan was replaced by Crews, who hit Jeff Blauser and walked Ron Gant to load the bases. In came Searage, who allowed the RBI outs by Olson and Treadway.

“I guess I struggled a little bit, but that’s the first time it has happened this year,” said Crews, who may get some argument on that assessment. “I was just missing. I just needed more time.”

With 52 games left, the Dodgers don’t have time for bad pitching or the failed late-inning rallies that also contributed to Friday’s loss.

The Dodgers scored once in the eighth inning and could have scored more except Eddie Murray turned a single into an out by being thrown out at second base. Samuel ended the inning with a runner on third base by striking out for the 1,000th time in his career. It came against rookie reliever Kent Mercker, who recorded his 29th career strikeout.

The Dodgers blew another chance in the ninth inning when, with runners on first and second, Kal Daniels struck out looking to end the game.

“I can’t explain it tonight,” Dempsey said, shaking his head.

Morgan, as if trying to convince himself, said: “You know, we’re the ones in the pennant race. We’re the ones who needed this game bad,”

Braves’ rookie starting pitcher Steve Avery, 20, needed it, too. Apparently the Dodgers are the only team he can beat.

On June 26 here, he won his first major league game by holding them to one run on four hits in seven innings. On Friday, he won again by holding them to one run on seven hits in seven innings.

In his seven starts in between Dodger appearances, he had gone 0-5, lasting as long as seven innings once.

“I don’t know if I turned up the intensity, but maybe I turned up aggressiveness a little bit,” said Avery, who improved to 2-6 with a 5.01 earned-run average.

Only Hubie Brooks’ RBI single after a walk to Kirk Gibson and single by Daniels in the sixth inning spoiled Avery’s complete control.

He had struck out Brooks with two runners on in the first inning. Avery had retired Gibson and Daniels with Sharperson standing on second in the third inning. He fooled Sharperson into a grounder that stranded Alfredo Griffin on second base in the fifth.

“He doesn’t seem to have anybody else’s number, but he sure has our number,” Sharperson said. “We don’t know what it is.”

By the time Avery gave the game to Mercker in the eighth inning, the Dodger offense was contributing to its own problems.

After Daniels started the eighth inning with a walk, Murray collected his second hit of the night, a single to right. As soon as he saw right fielder Dave Justice throw to third base, Murray ran for second. The throw missed Daniels, but the relay nailed Murray when he wasn’t fast enough and was easily tagged out.

Brooks then doubled to right, scoring Daniels. Brooks moved to third on a fly ball by Rick Dempsey, but was stranded by Samuel’s first of two strikeouts.

By the time Samuel struck out the second time to end the game, the crowd was on its feet, screaming like the Braves were in the pennant race.

Morgan lost for the fourth time in five starts despite allowing two runs in six innings. He should have have known there was trouble when, in the fifth inning, a stripper appeared above the Dodger bullpen.

Officials escorted her away while she was still clad in underwear, but it proved to be an omen for a soon-to-be exposed Dodger weakness of middle relief.

Dodger Notes

The Dodgers recalled left-handed relief pitcher Dave Walsh from triple-A Albuquerque to give them 11 pitchers in preparation for next week’s stretch of four games in three days in New York. To make room for Walsh, they optioned infielder Jose Vizcaino to Albuquerque, although he probably will return after next week when Walsh is no longer needed. Walsh was 6-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 12 saves in 47 appearances in Albuquerque. He has 66 strikeouts in 62 innings.

Walsh will go to the bullpen and Mike Hartley probably will make his first major league start in Tuesday’s doubleheader at Shea Stadium.

The Braves have named Mark Grant as tonight’s starter, replacing Marty Clary, 1-9 with a 5.54 ERA and 1-10 since last Aug 23. Grant, recently acquired from San Diego, will be making his first start of the season. He is 1-2 with a 6.36 ERA. Batters are hitting .342 against him.