Dodgers Do Their Part, 6-3, but Still Fall 4 Games Back

Kirk Gibson broke out of his slump. Juan Samuel continued to emerge from his funk. And a solid left-handed starting pitcher appeared whose name is not Valenzuela.

Yet despite beating the San Francisco Giants Saturday night, 6-3, the Dodgers lost ground to the Cincinnati Reds, who swept a doubleheader from the San Diego Padres and opened a four-game lead over the Dodgers with 10 games remaining for both teams.

“Man, it’s getting ugly, isn’t it?” Dodger shortstop Alfredo Griffin said. “We’re four games out with 10 to play? That means we have to win all 10.”

The evening began with the Dodgers watching the scoreboard, and ended with them shrugging as if they had lost.

“We’ve just got to keep winning and pray that they lose,” said Manager Tom Lasorda, who celebrated his 63rd birthday.

The Dodgers have won three consecutive games and eight of their last 10. But the most important victories Saturday were the Reds’, by scores of 6-4 and 9-5.

The Reds not only have an advantage in the standings, but in the schedule.

The Reds will play the Padres again in San Diego today, then finish at Riverfront Stadium with three games each against the Atlanta Braves, Padres and Houston Astros.

The Dodgers will play host to the Giants today, then leave for three games in Houston and three games in San Francisco before finishing with three games here against the Padres.

“I don’t think it should be a concern that they finish at home,” said Kal Daniels, a former Red. “They still got to play the games there, don’t they? They don’t play 1.000 ball at home, do they? They can lose three, four, five of those games.

“Of course, it would be nice if they lost all nine.”

Gibson stared into his locker, shrugged and summed up the night by saying, “What can you do?”

Before 45,755 at Dodger Stadium, the slumping Gibson did plenty. He drove in the Dodgers’ first run with a double, stole two bases, and made eight putouts in center field.

He was helped by Samuel, who continued his two-week tear with three hits and three runs batted in, including his 12th homer.

Tying everything together was Dennis Cook, a replacement starter for Mike Hartley, who is still suffering from a sore side. The left-handed Cook gave up one run on five hits in 6 1/3 innings for his first victory as a Dodger.

“We’re running out of time . . . and it’s too bad, because we’re all playing well and having fun,” Griffin said.

Griffin had a single and an RBI in the Dodgers’ five-run sixth inning against against starter Mike LaCoss and reliever Francisco Oliveras. It was about the only time during the night that the Dodgers could avoid looking at the scoreboard.

“You try not to (watch the scoreboard),” said Samuel, batting .431 in his last 14 games. “But the fan’s reaction makes you look. I don’t see how you can not look.”

Cook and LaCoss kept things interesting through five scoreless innings before Cook took matters into his own bat.

Cook began the sixth-inning uprising with a single, his first hit as a Dodger but his 14th hit this season, improving his average to .326.

Lenny Harris bunted Cook to second base, then Gibson sliced a 3-and-1 pitch against the left-field fence for a double, scoring Cook.

It was Gibson’s second hit of the game, but only his fifth in 39 at-bats and fourth RBI this month. He has only three multi-hit games since Aug. 23.

When asked if being benched for six games helped him regain his swing, Gibson shook his head.

“What can I say. . . . I was out of the lineup, we played well and won, that is water over the dam, it’s nothing to be dwelt on,” he said. “Who knows, maybe I’ll have to be sitting in the future.”

He added: “Sometimes you hit the ball well and it doesn’t fall in. Everybody says I was in a slump, well, there have been other days I have felt better than I did tonight. Just because I get a couple of hits, does that mean I found my swing?”

On the next pitch after his double, with Kal Daniels batting, Gibson stole third base. It was his second steal of the game, and his 25th in 27 attempts this season. That steal seemed to bother LaCoss, who walked Daniels, and then walked Eddie Murray on four pitches to load the bases.

Murray went hitless in two at-bats to end a 10-game hitting streak. His average dropped to .328.

A grounder by Hubie Brooks scored one run. After an intentional walk to Mike Scioscia loaded the bases, Samuel bounced a single up the middle to score two runs.

LaCoss was replaced by Oliveras, who gave up a bloop single to left by Griffin to score the Dodgers’ fifth run. It was only Griffin’s 35th RBI this season.

Dodger Notes

Manager Tom Lasorda celebrated his 63rd birthday with a singing telegram from a woman dressed like a police officer, a cake shaped like a baseball, and a 100-lap swim. Lasorda, who had been promising for two months to make the marathon swim on his birthday, completed the 100 laps at the Police Academy Pool in 2 1/2 hours. He took a 10-second rest after every two laps. . . . Orel Hershiser threw about 35 pitches off a mound at the regulation distance of 60 feet 6 inches for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery Aug. 27. Hershiser said he will probably not do much more before this winter. “If anything, I’m going to back off,” he said. Hershiser said he will spend the winter in the Southland instead of returning to his Vero Beach home so he can be near team therapist Pat Screnar.

Robby Thompson, Giant second baseman, will miss this series because he has returned to San Francisco to care for his wife, Brenda, who suffered broken ribs and a broken clavicle in an auto accident last week. Thompson was hitting .278 against the Dodgers this season, and .244 overall. . . . The Giants have used 51 players this season, three short of the National League record of 54 used by the New York Mets in 1967. The Giants have also used 26 pitchers, one short of the major league mark of 27 shared by three teams, most recently the 1967 Mets. The Giants have used the disabled list 15 times this year, a franchise record and the most in the league.

To make room for newly acquired catcher Barry Lyons, the Dodgers designated pitcher Mike Munoz for assignment. Munoz, a left-handed reliever who was once one of the Dodgers’ top prospects, must be either traded, released or waived within 10 days. Munoz appeared in 11 games for the Dodgers in two seasons, giving up seven runs in 8 1/3 innings.