Montreal Is No Olympic Festival for Dodgers, 6-5

Two games into the second half of the season and the Dodgers’ faces are as red as Mike Morgan’s big toe.

There was a whole lot of stumbling going on Friday, beginning when Morgan left the game in the third inning with a limp. He watched his teammates hobble off six innings later when the Dodgers’ stirring four-run comeback was nullified by Delino DeShields’ one-out single in the bottom of the ninth. That gave the Montreal Expos a 6-5 victory before 21,767 at Olympic Stadium.

The Dodgers, who need a good second half to win the West Division, are 0-2 since the All-Star break against a team with the second-worst record in the National League.

Morgan, who needs a good second half because he has never had one, must be wondering about history repeating after he aggravated the chronically sore big toe on his right foot with two out in the third.

“I don’t think anybody here will be crying when that charter plane leaves this country,” said Chris Gwynn after the Dodgers fell to 0-4 here this season, and 1-9 over the last two seasons.

Gwynn’s pinch-hit, three-run double with one out in the ninth pulled the Dodgers to within 5-4. One out later, Gwynn scored the tying run when Brett Butler reached first on a questionable umpire’s decision on a wide throw by pitcher Scott Ruskin.

But the Dodgers’ celebration didn’t last long. The Expos loaded the bases against reliever Kevin Gross on a double by Eric Bullock, an intentional walk to Spike Owen, a walk to rookie Bret Barberie, and DeShields’ bouncer over drawn-in shortstop Mike Sharperson.

“Usually when you come back like that in the ninth inning, you go ahead and finish it off,” Gwynn said. “It’s games like that you usually win.”

But, as Morgan noted, the Dodgers haven’t won a game like that all season. They are 0-27 when trailing after eight innings.

“And I think once in a while, you’ve got to win a game like that,” said Morgan, who said he will be able to make his next scheduled start Wednesday in Philadelphia even though he could not push off the rubber during his windup because of the injury.

The Dodgers consider themselves fortunate that the second-place Cincinnati Reds have also lost each of the last two nights. And Butler was happy to extend his major league leading hitting streak to 23 games with a fifth-inning single to right field.

But after losing consecutive games for the ninth time this season, the Dodgers are not pleased about anything else.

Gross, for example, is not happy about a ninth inning that gave him his first loss since June 8. He had recorded a victory and three saves in eight relief appearances since then.

With one out he made a good pitch to Bullock, who earlier hit his first career home run in his 11th pro season. But the ball bounced near the left-field line in front of Kal Daniels and ticked off Daniels’ glove.

“I did what I wanted to do, I thought the ball would either be a foul or an out, but then it dropped in,” Gross said.

Daniels said the ball was uncatchable because he was playing deep to prevent a double.

“If it happened earlier in the game, I would have caught it, but I was too far back,” he said. “After that, I was just trying to knock it down. You know what they say . . . that’s how the ball bounces.”

Gross was also not thrilled with an ensuing intentional walk to Owen, hitting .231. Tom Lasorda, Dodger manager, was trying to set up the double play for pinch-hitter Barberie, a former USC star.

“I really wanted to pitch to Owen, I think I could have gotten him,” Gross said. “But then, I guess every pitcher thinks that way.”

Said Lasorda: “We would rather pitch to the guy who is not the reputable hitter, then pitch to the veteran.”

That situation perhaps could have been avoided if Morgan did not hurt his toe while running to first base on a grounder in the top of the second inning. He hurt it again in the bottom of the second while covering first on a grounder by Ron Hassey.

Morgan tried to pitch through the pain in the third, but after Bullock’s triple, he had to leave. Three innings later Bullock hit a three-run home run off reliever Mike Hartley to give the Expos a 5-1 lead.

“I’ll be fine, this has happened before,” Morgan said. “I’ll just treat it and be ready to go next week. I’ve always pitched with it.”

Just as he has always pitched with the reputation of having poor second halves.

In the final three months of the season, counting Friday, Morgan has a career record of 25-50 with a 4.92 ERA.