Holy Cow! Scioscia Wins It in the Ninth : Dodgers: His two-out single scores Harris after the Cubs overcome a 7-2 deficit with six runs in the seventh inning.

When the teams with the two best records in baseball begin a four-game series at Dodger Stadium tonight, the Pittsburgh Pirates will be the ones with the better winning percentage.

But the Dodgers will be the ones having all the fun.

Less than 24 hours after a compelling comeback victory over the Chicago Cubs Tuesday, the Dodgers did it again Wednesday.

They blew a five-run lead against the Cubs, then overcame a one-run deficit to take a 9-8 victory on Mike Scioscia’s run-scoring single with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Scioscia, who was hitting .164 this season against left-handed pitchers, got his single against left-hander Paul Assenmacher, who had struck out six of the seven Dodgers he faced in Tuesday’s 6-5 Dodger victory.

“The last two nights tell you something about these guys,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said. “They don’t quit.”

The Dodgers’ season-high fourth consecutive victory gave them their first three-game sweep of the Cubs at Dodger Stadium since 1978. It was only their second three-game series sweep this season and their third series sweep overall.

The Dodgers increased their record to 39-25, marking their best 64-game start since 1983, when they were 43-21. They also maintained their five-game lead in the National League West, their biggest lead since the end of the 1988 World Series championship season.

Before a screaming and jumping crowd of 39,287 at Dodger Stadium, Wednesday’s ending was so exciting, the stoic Scioscia even clapped. Once.

After Eddie Murray’s run-scoring fly ball had tied the score at 8-8 in the eighth inning, pinch-hitter Lenny Harris began the ninth with a single against Assenmacher.

The left-handed hitting Harris had begun the night on the bench because the Dodgers were facing left-hander Danny Jackson.

Mike Sharperson then sacrificed Harris to second, and Harris moved to third on Alfredo Griffin’s grounder to second, setting up the winning hit.

Scioscia worked Assenmacher to a 2-and-2 count, then fouled off a pitch. Scioscia lined the next pitch to shallow right field, scoring Harris and emptying the Dodger dugout.

“I have confidence in the ballclub, everybody does what they have to do,” Scioscia said. “We’ve been coming back well this year. That’s a big relief for our pitching staff. Even when when we are down, they know we can come back.”

Said Harris: “Every night it’s somebody different, that’s the important thing. We will take a win any way we can.”

Only a team leading a charmed life could experience such an exhilarating finish to such a frustrating night.

After all, the Cubs had scored six seventh-inning runs against four Dodger relievers to overcome a 7-2 deficit.

The one Dodger reliever who was perfect, Jay Howell, picked up his second win by retiring the Cubs in order in the ninth--the only time in the game they were retired in order.

As the seventh inning began, the Dodgers had built a 7-2 lead against Jackson thanks to a career-high three hits from Sharperson and two runs batted in from Sharperson and Murray.

And there was Orel Hershiser, perched on the edge of his first victory at Dodger Stadium in 426 days, since April 19, 1990. Hershiser had given up only two runs in six innings, scattering seven hits.

This game was going so well, Hershiser even helped the opposition. While batting in the second inning, Hershiser walked to the mound to assist Jackson finding a lost contact lens. Not that Jackson wanted to continue watching, as he was pounded for seven runs and 11 hits.

But then, with Hershiser still limiting himself to about 100 pitches, the Dodgers’ bullpen was forced to appear. And the Cubs took advantage with their six-run seventh.

LONG A LONG NIGHT: The Dodgers came from behind twice and defeated the Chicago Cubs, 6-5, in 13 innings in a game that started Tuesday night and ended Wednesday morning. C6