Dodgers Get Second Wind With Victory

After spending nearly three months in the depths of third and fourth place, the Dodgers are finally seeing Reds.

Kal Daniels’ second game-deciding home run in five days and unflappable pitching by Mike Morgan gave the Dodgers a 3-2 victory over the New York Mets Wednesday, pulling them into a second-place tie with San Francisco in the National League West.

With a 60-56 record that is identical to the Giants’, it is the first time the Dodgers have been above third place since June 1. Even though they remained 8 1/2 games behind first-place Cincinnati, enthusiastic clubhouse mathematicians agree it is easier to catch one team than two.

“Like I’ve been saying, we’ve got to catch second place before we catch first place . . . and now that we’ve caught second place, we are going after the Reds,” Daniels said after his three-run homer in the fourth inning against Sid Fernandez helped Morgan win for the second time in six starts.

Added Rick Dempsey: “We have gotten over one barrier, now there is just one left. We are playing more like a pennant team. This is really getting fun.”

President Bush must have known something good was going to happen to the Dodgers Wednesday. He phoned Manager Tom Lasorda before the game. He and Lasorda are friends, and Bush just wanted to talk baseball.

“One minute I’m watching Bush talking to the Pentagon on television, and the next minute he is on the phone in the manager’s office,” said a Dodger coach.

Afterward Lasorda preferred to talk about the game, in which the Dodgers beat the Mets for a second consecutive time after losing in each of their first five meetings this year. The Mets remained in second place in the NL East, half a game behind Pittsburgh.

“What a gut-wrencher,” Lasorda said after the playoff-style match before 43,139 at Shea Stadium. “This team doesn’t stop believing.”

The Dodgers got only three hits against Fernandez and Wally Whitehurst, but they were consecutive hits in the fourth inning--a double by Stan Javier, a bunt single by Mike Sharperson and Daniels’ 18th homer. Daniels, who beat Atlanta with a 10th-inning homer Saturday, has 59 runs batted in, five shy of his career high.

“The only thing I was worried about this year was staying healthy,” said Daniels, who has not been on the disabled list. “I stay healthy, I know I’ll be hitting.”

After his homer gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead, the Mets scored in the sixth inning and could have had more except Dave Magadan forgot the count and attempted the first steal of his career on a 3-and-0 pitch.

Dempsey threw him out, and Morgan eventually struck out Darryl Strawberry with a runner on first to end the inning with a 3-2 lead.

“It was vapor lock, it was pure stupidity, I can’t believe I did it,” said Magadan of his failed attempt. “When I came back to the bench, I felt like I had the plague.”

Morgan didn’t feel much better in the seventh when the the Mets loaded the bases on a single, a pitch that hit Kelvin Torve in the foot and a walk to .238-hitting Tom O’Malley.

With two out, up stepped left-handed hitting Daryl Boston. Ron Perranoski, the Dodger pitching coach, ran to the mound. Many thought Morgan would be removed from the game. But Lasorda thought differently.

“Even though he was getting wild, he was wild low, where they couldn’t hurt him so bad,” Lasorda said. “The ball was still moving. We wanted to give him another hitter.”

Morgan described the mound meeting with Perranoski as if it were a father-son talk.

“Perry said, ‘This is our man,’ ” Morgan said. “Said it just like that. Made me feel good.”

Morgan dueled Boston to a full count, then, with the crowd on its feet, he fooled him into hitting a soft fly ball to Javier in center field. Morgan turned, watched Javier make the catch, then did a little hop as he slapped his bare hand into his glove.

“I felt like we were in the playoffs,” Morgan said. “Man, that noise level was awesome. That is what it’s all about.”

Morgan was replaced in the eighth by Jim Gott, who retired the side before Jay Howell took over in the ninth. Howell twisted his knee while catching a one-out line drive by Kevin McReynolds, and allowed a two-out single to pinch- hitter Mark Carreon, but retired Mackey Sasser on a grounder to shortstop to end the game with his 10th save.

Dodger Notes

A little-used baseball rule may soon result in the recall of heralded triple-A shortstop Jose Offerman. Within a couple of days, when relief pitcher Mike Hartley recovers from his six-inning start Tuesday, the Dodgers will be prepared to send reliever Dave Walsh back to Albuquerque and recall an infielder. But Jose Vizcaino, who was demoted Aug. 11, cannot be recalled until Aug. 21. A demoted player must remain in the minor leagues at least 10 days. In Vizcaino’s place, the Dodgers may choose to bring up Offerman, the Dodgers’ future starting shortstop who is batting .331 with 59 stolen bases in 111 games.