Dodgers Get the Last Break to Win in 13th

After rebounding from deficits in the 11th and 12th innings, the Dodgers proved a very lucky team in the 13th inning Tuesday by scoring after a one-out error to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 6-5, before 37,402 at Dodger Stadium.

In a game that lasted 4 hours and 53 minutes, the longest in the National League this season, Eddie Murray drove in the winning run with a single off first baseman Mark Grace’s glove, scoring Juan Samuel from second base. The inning began when Jeff Hamilton reached on a one-out fielding error by shortstop Shawon Dunston. Samuel singled Hamilton to third, but Hamilton was thrown out at the plate on Lenny Harris’ one-out grounder.

The game had more than its share of twists and turns.

The Dodgers took a 3-0 lead in the second inning, but the Cubs tied it in the sixth on Ryne Sandberg’s three-run homer.

Samuel’s fielding error helped give the Cubs a 4-3 lead in the 11th, but the Dodgers tied it on Chris Gwynn’s run-scoring triple in the bottom of the 11th.

Sandberg’s infield single gave the Cubs a 5-4 lead in the 12th, but the Dodgers tied it again on Grace’s two-out throwing error.

Against reliever Heathcliff Slocumb, the Cubs’ fifth pitcher, Samuel started the Dodgers’ 12th by drawing a walk. After Harris struck out, Murray walked. Mike Sharperson flied out to left field, then Stan Javier hit a grounder in the hole between first and second base.

Grace fielded it cleanly. But instead of throwing to Slocumb covering first base, he threw to Dunston covering second. The throw was wide, Murray was safe, and Samuel scored to tie the game.

The Cubs took a 4-3 lead in the 11th when they scored an unearned run after second baseman Samuel’s two-out fielding error and Dunston’s run-scoring single off Jim Gott.

But moments later, in a memorable at-bat, Gwynn hit a two-strike, two-out triple off the center-field wall against Cub reliever Dave Smith to tie the score in the bottom of the 11th.

Gwynn was stranded at third base when Brett Butler, after fouling off three pitches with two strikes, grounded to second baseman Sandberg to end the inning and extend the game.

It was a timely hit in another way for Gwynn, who entered the game in the 11th inning in a double-switch. He will team with Stan Javier in right field for the next couple of weeks to replace Darryl Strawberry, who was placed on the disabled list Tuesday.

Gwynn’s dramatics should have been game-winning heroics except for the struggles of Gott and Samuel.

Gott, who had pitched just two innings this month, started the 11th by walking Sandberg. Two outs later, Sandberg stole second on Gott’s second pitch to George Bell. Because the count was 2 and 0, the Dodgers intentionally walked Bell, bringing up Rick Wilkins.

Gott appeared to be out of the inning when Wilkins grounded a ball to Samuel, who had committed just one error since May 7. But the ball bounced around Samuel’s hands and legs, and all runners were safe.

Two pitches later Dunston singled to right to score Sandberg.

The Dodgers had taken a 3-0 lead in the second inning, then the Cubs tied it in the sixth on Sandberg’s three-run homer.

The Dodgers could have taken the lead in the seventh inning, but blew two good chances.

With Butler on second base and one out against Cub reliever Chuck McElroy, Harris lined a single to left. Butler attempted to score, but was thrown out on a perfect throw to home plate by left fielder Bell.

Harris took second on the throw, and was soon joined on the bases by Eddie Murray, who was intentionally walked. Paul Assenmacher, a left-hander, was summoned to face Kal Daniels, who hit a 400-foot homer against a fresh Chicago relief pitcher (McElroy) Monday.

Daniels had the same swing this time, but different results, as he struck out to end the inning. Daniels put an exclamation point on the Dodgers’ frustration by throwing his bat.

The home run pitch to Sandberg was one of Dodger starter Tim Belcher’s few mistakes, as he gave up just four hits in seven innings but left the game after throwing 126 pitches.

The Dodgers nearly scored in the first inning for the 26th time this season, but Grace made a diving stop of Murray’s two-out grounder near first base with Butler running from second base.

Such a play didn’t upset them, though, as they quickly made up for it with their three runs in the second.

Daniels led off the inning by drawing walk, which wasn’t all bad news for the Cubs considering Daniels entered with a .448 average in his last eight games, with four homers and eight runs batted in during that time.

But in worrying about Daniels, Bob Scanlan, the Cubs’ rookie starter, forgot about Mike Scioscia and Alfredo Griffin.

Scanlan fooled Javier on a grounder that moved Daniels to second base.

Then came trouble, as Scioscia, with only one hit in his previous 11 at-bats, looped a ball into shallow left field. Daniels hustled home to score the game’s first run and Scioscia hustled into second base, just beating Bell’s throw for a double.

Scioscia wasn’t done, and neither were the Dodgers. Griffin bounced a ball off Scanlan’s glove for a single, moving Scioscia to third. With Belcher batting and the not-so-swift Scioscia on third base, Tom Lasorda then pulled his surprise of the game--a suicide squeeze bunt.

It certainly surprised the Cubs. Scioscia ran home as Belcher laid down the perfect bunt for the first RBI this season by a Dodger pitcher other than Ramon Martinez or Kevin Gross.

Butler then made it 3-0 when he lined a single to center field to score Griffin from second base.

Belcher, meanwhile, was cruising through the first five innings. Pitching like a man without a loss since May 12, he didn’t allow a ball hit out of the infield until Butler made a diving catch of Ced Landrum’s line drive in the fourth inning. Entering the sixth inning, Belcher gave up only two hits and struck out five.

But he walked the first two batters in the sixth and Sandberg hit an 0-and-1 pitch into the left-center field seats.