Scioscia Stands, Delivers : Baseball: The catcher provides two key hits as the Dodgers rally to beat the Giants, 6-2.

Mike Scioscia showed again Wednesday that it is going to take more than the strains of 11 major league seasons as a catcher to break him.

After the Dodgers fell behind the San Francisco Giants, 2-0, Scioscia drove in the tying run with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the sixth inning, then clinched a 6-2 victory with a run-scoring single in the eighth.

And he illustrated the full extent of his value to the team by handling tough breaking pitches from relievers Mike Hartley and Jay Howell, who had three perfect innings before 29,011 at Candlestick Park.

After more than a decade of home-plate collisions and dives in the dirt, Scioscia absorbs bruises that spread across his body. In the clubhouse, he is often wrapped in so much ice, he becomes a walking sprinkler.

And he has been doing this since 1981, giving him a longer period of service with the Dodgers than the rest of Wednesday’s starting lineup combined.

“But I feel if anything, I am improving as a ballplayer,” said Scioscia, 32, who is batting a team-high .429. “And I honestly feel that if I keep my nose to the grindstone, I can keep getting better.”

And stronger. The Dodgers have two backup catchers for the first time in a decade, but in eight games, Barry Lyons has yet to play, and Gary Carter has only four pinch at-bats.

Scioscia’s competitive attitude was contagious Wednesday as the Dodgers did not despair when they were held to one hit in five innings by Kelly Downs, the Giant starter. They had nine hits in the last four innings against four Giant pitchers to finish with a season-high 11.

“This was the best game we’ve played all year,” said Kal Daniels, who drew an important walk in the sixth inning and had a double to start the eighth. “This shows, we don’t go down easy.”

About the only Dodger who didn’t get into the act was Darryl Strawberry, who went hitless in four at-bats, giving him three hits in his last 24 at-bats and dropping his average to .179. Strawberry does not have a home run in eight games, during which time the Dodgers have one, the lowest total in the major leagues.

That the Dodgers have managed to play .500 ball is a tribute to ingenuity.

“Today, we showed we can do it a lot of ways,” Daniels said.

Even Eddie Murray contributed. He drew a bases-loaded walk as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and singled for his first hit of season in the eighth to give hope that he will be ready for the series against the Padres, which begins today.

Bob Ojeda, who put the Dodgers in the hole by giving up home runs to Robby Thompson and Matt Williams, started the sixth with a single to left field, his second of the game. Ojeda eventually won his first game as a Dodger by allowing only those two runs in six innings.

After Brett Butler’s grounder forced Ojeda at second, Juan Samuel’s grounder moved Butler to second. Strawberry was hit by a pitch from Downs, causing Giant Manager Roger Craig to summon left-hander Trevor Wilson to face Daniels. He walked Daniels on four pitches, loading the bases with Jeff Hamilton, batting for Lenny Harris, on deck.

But Hamilton was called back, and out strolled Murray, making his third pinch-hit appearance since leaving the lineup after opening day with a sore right hip.

Murray watched four more errant pitches from Wilson and walked to force in the Dodgers’ first run.

In came Rick Reuschel to face Scioscia, who batted .306 last year with runners in scoring position and two out. Scioscia drove a pitch up the middle to tie the score.

The next inning, Samuel doubled to the right-field gap after Butler had doubled to shallow right.

Scioscia then helped secure the victory, both at the plate and behind the plate.

Said Howell, who has combined with Hartley for 10 2/3 scoreless innings this season: “To be a pitcher like me and Hartley, where we like to throw balls that break down, there is nothing like coming into a game where Scioscia is the catcher. You know Scioscia is going to block the ball. Today is just another example of how he is so very, very important to this team.”

DODGERS ON DECK

Opponent--San Diego Padres, four games.

Site--San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

TV--Channel 11 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

Radio--KABC (790), KWKW (1330).

Records--Dodgers 4-4, Padres 6-3.

Record vs. Padres (1991)--0-3.

Dodger update--The Dodgers have lost 18 of the last 27 games played in San Diego, where their appearance is usually one of the highlights of the Padre season. Because they were swept by the Padres at Dodger Stadium last week, the Dodgers probably will hear more boos and jeers than ever. This is a big series for Kevin Gross, today’s starter, who will attempt to show that his scoreless inning of relief against the Padres last Sunday was more to form than his defeat as a starter the night before, when he allowed five runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Padre update--The Padres, off to their second best start in franchise history, had given up only two earned runs in the 28 innings before Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Offensively, the Padres have struggled a bit. They have had only three extra-base hits in their past four games.

Pitching matchups--The Dodgers’ Kevin Gross (0-1) vs. the Padres’ Eric Nolte (1-0) today at 1 p.m.; Mike Morgan (0-1) vs. Ed Whitson (1-0) Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Tim Belcher (2-0) vs. Bruce Hurst (1-0) Saturday at 7 p.m., and Ramon Martinez (1-1) vs. Andy Benes (0-1) Sunday at 1 p.m.

* STILL WAITING: Mickey Hatcher, released in spring training, says he would play without pay in the minor leagues if the Dodgers would have him.