Gross Makes Bid to Keep His Job

A few cobwebs were nothing to Kevin Gross, who moved amazingly well Tuesday for a man who had pitched one inning for the Dodgers in the last 16 days.

Those things happen when a man is fighting to be kept out of storage for good.

Making his first start since April 28, Gross pitched as though he had been doing this all month, holding the Montreal Expos scoreless for six innings in a 6-2 Dodger victory before 27,625 at Dodger Stadium.

“I felt better than I thought I’d feel. I thought I would get out there and the mound would be like, ancient ,” said Gross, who was facing the Expos for the first time since leaving them as a free agent last winter.

In winning for the seventh time in 10 games, the Dodgers overcame an early injury by Kal Daniels to take a 6-0 lead after four innings.

It was more than enough for Gross, who allowed only two hits to Marquis Grissom while preserving the momentum from his last start, when he held the San Francisco Giants to one run in six innings for his first victory.

Now, if he can only preserve his starting job.

Orel Hershiser, whose comeback from reconstructive shoulder surgery has moved into high gear, could return from the disabled list within three weeks.

Hershiser’s return means there would be six starters for a five-man rotation.

“Orel is definitely going to start,” said Fred Claire, Dodger vice president. “And there will have to be an adjustment made.”

If Gross is not careful, that adjustment could send him to the bullpen. He entered Tuesday with a 7.79 earned-run average, worst on the team. He had already spent the last two weeks in the bullpen because Dodger days off have meant his fifth spot in the rotation could be skipped.

But if his work against the Expos was any indication, he will not go to the bullpen quietly.

“I know Orel is going to come back and pitch when he is ready, and I guess they could go to a six-man rotation, but I’ve never heard of that before,” Gross said. “But it really doesn’t matter, because I am not thinking about that at all. I’m just concentrating on showing I can really pitch.”

He can certainly pitch sick, for he said he fought the flu throughout the game, even suffering through a bloody nose while sitting on the bench.

“That nose kept bleeding, and I kept trying to stop it. . . . But maybe all that helped me,” Gross said. “Maybe it forced me to concentrate more.”

Gross didn’t allow a hit until Grissom doubled with two out in the third inning.

Because of Eddie Murray’s first error of the season on a dropped relay throw at first base, the double put runners on second and third. But Gross induced Ivan Calderon into a grounder to Murray to end the inning.

Two innings later, after Gross issued his third walk and Delino DeShields stole second, the Expos managed their second hit when Grissom beat out a grounder to shortstop.

But Gross did not falter, retiring Calderon again on a grounder to end the inning. Gross retired the Expos in order in the sixth inning, then left the game after throwing 100 pitches.

In improving to 2-3 while lowering his ERA to 5.79, Gross improved his career mark against the Expos to 12-3 with a 2.68 ERA, which is why the Expos traded for him two years ago.

Afterward, the Dodger offense was feeling just as good--even Daniels, who fouled a ball off his groin in the first inning and was removed from the field on a stretcher. Afterward he said he felt better and could probably play today.

The top of the Dodger batting order can’t wait to play again today. Juan Samuel and Brett Butler combined to reach base eight times in nine plate appearances, collecting five hits, three runs and two runs batted in.

Mark Gardner, making his first start for the Expos after off-season shoulder surgery, walked Butler and Samuel to start the first inning. Darryl Strawberry singled up the middle for one run.

The Dodgers made it 2-0 in the third inning after Butler led off with a single, stole second, moved to third on a bunt single by Samuel, then scored when Murray singled to left to extend his hitting streak to eight games.

The Dodgers added four runs--three earned--in the fourth on RBI singles by Butler and Samuel, an error by DeShields, and a passed ball by catcher Gilberto Reyes, a former Dodger prospect.