DODGERS : Starting Lineup Begins Hitting Its Stride

Two hours before leaving Dodgertown for Los Angeles Thursday, Darryl Strawberry wanted to put himself through one last spring-training test.

He was running toward second base, his line drive bouncing toward the outfield fence. The decision was spontaneous.

“I said, ‘Man, I might as well check out my leg, see what happens,’ ” Strawberry said.

Moments later, he was sliding into third base with a triple. Strawberry is returning home a happy man with a sound right hamstring.

“Hey baby, it’s showtime,” Strawberry said after helping the Dodgers beat the New York Mets, 3-2, in their final Florida exhibition game.

“I’m ready to go. . . . In fact, I’m more than ready,” Strawberry said of the regular season. “The only way we are going to lose this year is to beat ourselves.”

The victory Wednesday was the perfect send-off for the Dodgers, who will play the three-game Freeway Series against the Angels this weekend before flying to Atlanta for opening day Tuesday.

For only the second time this spring, the Dodgers used their opening-day lineup. It was good enough to beat Dwight Gooden, racked for seven hits in six innings.

For one of the few times this spring, they used their regular relievers to finish the game. Mike Hartley and Jay Howell combined to pitch two scoreless innings, Howell picking up the save with a game-ending double-play grounder.

Although they are returning to Los Angeles with a 13-17 exhibition record, the Dodgers at least feel like a winning team.

“People are going to look at our record and say, ‘Boy, that’s bad,’ but they aren’t going to realize how many times we played with a split squad,” said Bob Ojeda, who allowed two runs in five innings of his final spring tuneup. “We get everybody together like today, and man, it looks pretty good.”

Nothing looked better than the middle of the Dodgers’ lineup.

Strawberry had a hit and scored a run. Eddie Murray had two hits and two runs batted in. Kal Daniels had a hit and drew a walk.

The biggest hit was recorded by Jeff Hamilton, who will have plenty of chances for RBIs this year if that middle of the order gets on base. Hamilton hit a 400-foot home run in the second inning.

“I didn’t even think that ball was out. I barely felt it when I hit it,” Hamilton said. “That shows you how good I feel and how relaxed I am.”

The Dodgers are coming home with their 25-man roster set. Expected to be demoted to triple-A Albuquerque by Sunday’s series finale are pitchers Dennis Cook and Jim Neidlinger and shortstop Jose Offerman.

One notable absence from the weekend series will be Orel Hershiser, who has remained in Florida because of his sister’s wedding. He will work out at Dodgertown this weekend, then join the team Monday in Atlanta.

Hershiser, who is on the 15-day disabled list because of his shoulder problems, threw 70 pitches off a mound Wednesday, 20 from the full distance. If things go well, he could be facing hitters by next weekend in Los Angeles.

Dodger Notes

Shortstop Alfredo Griffin made two errors and was hitless in two at-bats Wednesday. As Griffin is slumping, Jose Offerman is streaking, but Offerman still is headed for the minor leagues initially. . . . Dick Moss, attorney for Fernando Valenzuela, reported that he has had conversations with several teams concerning the free-agent pitcher. “Really, we will look until Fernando can go somewhere he is appreciated,” Moss said. Jim Frey, general manager of the Chicago Cubs, said his team would have no interest in Valenzuela even though Rick Sutcliffe has been placed on the disabled list. “I just don’t think we’re going to do that,” Frey said. Although many other teams have claimed they do not want Valenzuela, minds can be changed quickly. Valenzuela is still expected to be pitching somewhere by the start the season next week.

No Dodger is more eager to start the season than Jim Gott, who screamed Tuesday when he struck out catcher Carl Nichols to begin his scoreless inning against the Houston Astros in the Dodgers’ 2-0 exhibition victory. Gott said he and Mike Hartley are already challenging each other to make the most appearances and pitch the most innings this season. “I got so excited, I told Hartley that I was going to set the club record for appearances,” Gott said. “That’s when he told me that Mike Marshall holds the record with 106 appearances. Maybe I should back off on that one.”

Ramon Martinez, Kevin Gross and Mike Morgan will be the Dodger starters in the Freeway Series Friday through Sunday. . . . Darryl Strawberry made a different sort of mark on the Dodgers when a foul ball off his bat struck Laurie Crews, wife of reliever Tim Crews, in the chest. “She is fine, but we can’t believe how weird that is,” said Crews.