Comeback Cures Dodgers’ Blues : Monday’s game: Three-run rally in 12th inning takes care of some strange plays earlier against Reds.

The Dodgers’ 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in 12 innings Monday was considered one of their most exhilarating, primarily because it was almost one of their lousiest games.

How lousy?

After Brett Butler had cost the Dodgers a possible victory in the 11th inning when he forgot to run from first base on a grounder, he was given an unusual greeting in the outfield.

Dodger Stadium fans sang the Atlanta Braves’ war chant and did the Braves’ tomahawk chop.

“I was like, ‘Oh man, do I feel bad,’ ” Butler said. “I couldn’t believe the egg on my face.”

The Dodgers eventually won on Jeff Hamilton’s run-scoring single that capped a three-run 12th inning, their second comeback in four innings, but earlier they wanted to hide their faces for several reasons:

--In the ninth inning, the bullpen turned a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 deficit, despite Manager Tom Lasorda’s unusual ploy of using five pitchers against five batters.

Lasorda tied a National League record for most pitchers in one inning, but the Reds still took the lead on consecutive run-scoring singles by Billy Hatcher and Jeff Reed against Kevin Gross.

Gross ended a parade that started with Jim Gott and continued with John Candelaria, Roger McDowell and Steve Wilson.

“What a battle, what an inning!” Lasorda exclaimed. “I figured we would get them out somehow . And it almost worked, too.”

--In the 11th inning, after the Dodgers had rebounded to tie the score in the ninth on Lenny Harris’ single against Rob Dibble, Harris nearly became one of the goats.

With Jose Offerman on third after a walk, and Butler on first after his infield single, Harris hit a one-out grounder to third baseman Chris Sabo.

Sabo threw home, where umpire John McSherry ruled that Offerman, on a head-first slide, had missed the plate. Reed tagged him, then ran down to first base, where Butler had remained, apparently thinking Offerman was safe.

“I thought the game was over,” Butler said. “Honestly.”

So did Lasorda, who said Tuesday that replays showed Offerman had touched the plate. Others who viewed replays, however, said they thought the call was correct.

When Harris realized that Butler was in trouble, he made it worse by suddenly speeding past him toward second base. He was ruled out for passing a baserunner, and the Reds had an inning-ending double play.

“Lenny ran past me and I thought, ‘Man, where is he going?’ ” Butler said. “Then I realized I had really messed up.”

By then, the game seemed so long--it eventually lasted 4 hours 38 minutes--that a fan shouted to Red reliever Ted Power, “Hurry up, I’ve got to go to work in three hours!”

--The Dodgers fell behind, 5-3, in the 12th inning on two unlikely occurrences.

Tim Crews gave up rookie Chris Jones’ first major league home run, then, four batters later, John Wetteland issued a bases-loaded walk to Power. It was the first time in four plate appearances this season that Power had not struck out.

“Talk about staring defeat in the face,” Lasorda said.

But Darryl Strawberry started the Dodgers’ 12th inning by drawing a walk against Power.

Eddie Murray then hit a line drive into the right-field corner for his first triple of the season.

After Mitch Webster drew a walk and Gary Carter struck out, rookie pinch-hitter Eric Karros came to the plate against rookie relief pitcher Milt Hill.

At the time, Karros was hitless in six major league at-bats.

“I knew I would get a hit sometime . . . maybe not this year, but sometime ,” Karros said.

Lasorda, who frequently pitches early batting practice to Karros, told him, “Hey, the guy you’re hitting against has less stuff than I do.”

Karros promptly doubled into the left-center-field gap, tying the score and putting runners on second and third.

After an intentional walk to Offerman, Hamilton won the game with his single over Hatcher in shallow center field.

Not only was it Hamilton’s first hit since May 31, he was lucky he was able to run to first base because of his injured left knee.

“I had to hit the ball in the air,” Hamilton said. “I hit it on the ground, I’m in trouble.”

Is there any wonder the Dodgers, even though it was long past midnight and most of the fans had departed, celebrated as if it had been a playoff game?

“The joy in Mudville was nothing compared to the joy in our clubhouse after this game,” said Lasorda, who tied a club record by using nine pitchers, as many as he used in that fabled 22-inning game in Houston in 1989.

“I mean, I felt like a wet dish rag,” Lasorda added. “Whatever that feels like.”