Astros Have Three Times the Fun at Dodger Expense : Baseball: Houston gets a bizarre triple play on its way to a sweep of the series, winning, 2-1, in 10 innings.

The Dodgers, who arrived at the Astrodome last week confident of beating the team with the worst record in the National League, staggered out of town Sunday seeing triple.

In three days they suffered three losses to the Houston Astros, capped by a pie-in-the-face triple play Sunday that dragged the Dodgers to a 2-1 loss in 10 innings before 23,710.

As easy as 1-2-3, the Astros won their seventh consecutive game while handing the Dodgers their 13th loss in their last 15 road games.

After being swept in a three-game series with a last-place team for the second time since the All-Star break, the Dodgers’ lead over the Atlanta Braves was cut to 3 1/2 games.

“I guarantee you, we won’t lose three games the next time we come here,” said Tim Belcher, pausing. “Because we only play two.”

Belcher was not laughing, and neither were his teammates after suffering an embarrassment that ended when Craig Biggio picked the 10th inning to get his first career hit against Kevin Gross. It was a run-scoring single after Gerald Young had walked and Steve Finley had singled.

But this loss really was decided five innings earlier, when the the Dodgers were victimized by the major league’s fourth triple play this season--the Astros second, and the first against the Dodgers in four years.

And it wasn’t merely any triple play. It involved a foul fly ball to a rookie right fielder who is considered a defensive liability in the late innings, and a diving tag by a rookie shortstop.

“It was the kind of triple play where on the bench we said, ‘ It figures, ‘ “ Brett Butler said.

Manager Tom Lasorda, who held a loud pregame meeting with his players, had much the same tone three hours later.

“How do you get three outs on a fly ball?” he said. “You can get two outs, but three? How do you do that?”

The Dodgers, who had five hits in four innings before the play, were so stunned that they were held hitless in five innings afterward.

The fifth inning began with the Dodgers holding a 1-0 lead and in position to score more. Mike Sharperson led off with a single to right, and Stan Javier singled to center.

Alfredo Griffin then hit a fly ball to rookie right fielder Mike Simms, a native of the City of Orange who is a converted outfielder. Simms caught the ball in foul territory near the Astro bullpen as Sharperson tagged up and raced for third.

Simms’ throw reached third baseman Ken Caminiti on one bounce, resulting in a close play on the sliding Sharperson. Caminiti then looked up and saw that Javier was running from first to second.

Then Caminiti saw why. There was no one covering second base. Andujar Cedeno, the rookie shortstop, finally hustled back toward the base.

Like a quarterback, Caminiti led Cedeno with a throw that Cedeno caught while diving and tagging Javier.

“It was as crazy a triple play as I’ve seen,” Caminiti said.

Afterward, Joe Amalfitano, the Dodger third base coach, remained kneeling on the turf, staring at the ground, as the Astros joyously ran past him off the field.

“The ball was in foul territory, a tough throw for a converted infielder, I thought the play would be in our favor,” Amalfitano said.

But that throw accounted for only one out. What happened to Javier?

“I saw second base open and I went for it . . . but I may have left just a bit late,” he said. “When I get there and slide, I see the shortstop coming out of nowhere to get me.”

It was the first time the Dodgers had been victimized by a triple play since Sept. 15, 1987, against the Astros.

The Astros have accomplished the feat as many times in the last three months as the Dodgers have in the last 42 years. The Dodgers have never turned a triple play while based in Los Angeles, and the Brooklyn Dodgers last turned one on April 16, 1949.

To Belcher, it seems like that long since he has won. Despite throwing his best game in more than a month Sunday, he still has only one victory in two months.

Belcher gave up only one run and four hits in eight innings, but he was backed by only Darryl Strawberry’s 15th home run, and finally left for a pinch hitter.

The Dodgers have scored two runs in the last 20 innings against six pitchers with a combined eight years of experience, including three rookies.

Strawberry’s 450-foot homer to the fourth deck in right field gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. But the Astros tied the score in the seventh on a double by Casey Candaele and a run-scoring single by pinch-hitter Jose Tolentino.

“I’m keeping some champagne on ice for my next win,” said Belcher, who then looked for a brighter side. “You tell me how a team can get swept by teams with three of the worst records in the league (Houston, Philadelphia, Montreal) since the All-Star break and still lose just 1 1/2 games in the standings. Guaranteed, the Braves and Reds are kicking themselves right now.”

Said Lasorda: “The Braves and Reds kicking themselves? How about us?”