Dodgers Get Caught With No Relief, 6-2 : Baseball: Mets come back from 2-1 deficit when McReynolds’ three-run home run sparks a five-run eighth inning.

While chasing Kevin McReynolds’ game-winning home run in the eighth inning Friday night, Stan Javier climbed to the top of the left-field wall and hung there.

Finally, he lost his grip and dropped to the ground, looking defeated.

Without Jay Howell, that is exactly what is happening to the Dodgers.

They clung to a lead through seven innings before reliever Tim Crews gave up a three-run homer to McReynolds to lead the New York Mets to a 6-2 victory before 46,711 at Shea Stadium.

One day after the Dodgers ended one losing streak, they might have started another one, in large part because of their inability to replace Howell, their top relief pitcher who has been out of action for a month with a sore elbow.

Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ vice president, has said he is hesitant to part with the young talent that would be necessary to acquire another relief pitcher.

But that young talent could not help them Friday as the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West was cut to three games by the second-place Atlanta Braves, who are as close to first place as any challenger has been since June 13.

“It is tough going into the eighth inning like we did, and then lose the game,” Darryl Strawberry said. “This was a game we had to win.”

And not simply because Strawberry had started the game with his second home run in two days, another dramatic shot to right field in his first at-bat.

The Dodgers also needed to win because they had seven good innings from Ramon Martinez, who did not strike out a batter in a start for the first time in his major league career.

Martinez, who either has a tired arm or is showing he can be more than a power pitcher, gave up only one run before the eighth. He started the inning by walking Dave Magadan and allowing to single by Gregg Jefferies, and Manager Tom Lasorda had seen enough.

With Howell not available until next week, Lasorda was forced to set up a mismatch by bringing in Crews to face McReynolds.

In his last 11 appearances, Crews has given up a game-winning home run, a game-winning double and a grand slam. McReynolds had four final-inning, game-winning hits this season.

“Ramon was absolutely tired,” Lasorda said. “We didn’t want to take a chance and hurt him.”

But according to Martinez, by taking him out of the game, they hurt him.

“I figured with the right-hander McReynolds up, I would stay in the game for at least one more batter,” Martinez said. “I felt fine.”

Two pitches later, none of the Dodgers felt fine when McReynolds hit a sinker that did not sink.

“He hit it and my mind went blank,” Crews said. “I’d say this is as bad as it’s been in my career.”

After the homer, it got worse for the Dodgers. Howard Johnson doubled, and one out later, reliever Dennis Cook intentionally walked pinch-hitter Mark Carreon. Then, a ground ball by Rick Cerone went through third baseman Lenny Harris’ legs to score one run, and another run scored when Juan Samuel literally kicked the relay throw from second base to first base, completing a five-run eighth.

“I don’t know what the answer is,” Crews said. “I don’t think there is an answer.”

It hasn’t come from the five Dodger relievers who support Howell.

Since Howell last pitched on June 19, the Dodgers’ bullpen is 3-6 with a 3.99 earned-run average and four saves in 25 games. During that time the Dodgers are 11-14. Howell has blown one save in 12 opportunities, and the rest of the bullpen has combined to blow nine saves in 22 opportunities.

When asked about the bullpen, catcher Gary Carter said: “From time to time, every team has certain areas that are problems. And that’s the area right now.”

Carter had doubled in the seventh inning and scored on Jefferies’ fielding error to break a 1-1 tie. Carter will be back on the bench today, however, because Mike Scioscia comes off the disabled list. In 19 replacement starts, Carter hit .300 with two homers, 10 runs batted in and eight runs scored.

At least the Dodgers are deep in one area.

“Without Jay, it’s a tough situation for a lot of guys to be in,” Strawberry said of the bullpen. “Sometimes when your stopper is hurt, you have another one there, but we just don’t have guys comfortable in that situation.

“Jay is the guy. And without him, we are hurting.”

Claire has had discussions about Milwaukee’s Dan Plesac, and the Dodgers have reportedly looked at several other available relievers, including the Chicago Cubs’ Paul Assenmacher and the New York Yankees’ Lee Guetterman.

But after Cleveland got three top young players from the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Tom Candiotti two weeks ago, the price for a pennant-race pitcher has been high.

“That trade seemed to set the market, and this is a price we are just not comfortable with,” Claire said earlier this week.

And so Friday the Dodgers paid a different sort of price.