Strawberry’s Homer in Ninth Tops Braves : Baseball: His second of the game, a two-run drive, produces a 7-5 victory. His five runs batted in nearly double his season total.

Darryl Strawberry broke out of a season-long slump and a career-long slump against Atlanta Brave reliever Alejandro Pena Friday night by hitting a two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning to give the Dodgers a 7-5 victory before 47,771 at Dodger Stadium.

Strawberry, who had two hits in his previous 15 at-bats and no homers and one run batted in in his previous 32, got his first hit in 14 career at-bats against Pena after hitting a three-run homer in the third inning. His five RBIs nearly doubled his season total of three.

Lenny Harris led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to left on the first pitch by Pena. But Todd Benzinger struck out, bringing up Strawberry.

The victory was the Dodgers’ second in eight games, giving them a 4-7 record and ensuring that they did not match their worst 11-game start since 1964.

The Braves nearly broke the tie in the top of the ninth after reliever Jim Gott walked Sid Bream and Greg Olson with one out.

But Roger McDowell came into the game and ended the threat. He struck out Jeff Blauser, then gave up an infield single by Damon Berryhill. He retired Deion Sanders on a grounder to leave the bases loaded.

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but a stranded a runner on third with three consecutive strikeouts. Then they watched the Braves tie the score during the second after an error by catcher Carlos Hernandez.

Two three-run homers during the third inning, by Atlanta’s Ron Gant and the Dodgers’ Darryl Strawberry, kept the score tied.

But after the Dodgers had taken the lead during the fourth inning on hits by Jose Offerman and Brett Butler, the Braves tied the score during the seventh inning in a very unusual way.

One day after Steve Lyons got his first hit of the season against the Dodgers, Jerry Willard did the same.

Willard, best known by Dodgers fans for drawing an 11th-inning walk Sept. 14 that led to the winning run against the Dodgers, got a two-out double to score Greg Olson. He had drawn a one-out walk, Martinez’s second walk of the game.

The Dodgers could have broken the tie during the seventh after a hard slide by Lenny Harris broke up a potential double play and led to a wild throw by shortstop Rafael Belliard, giving batter Todd Benzinger second base with one out. Darryl Strawberry was then walked intentionally.

But pinch-hitter Stan Javier flied to center against reliever Mike Stanton, and Juan Samuel fouled out to first base against reliever Juan Berenguer. Samuel is hitless in eight career at-bats against Berenguer.

It was not quiet the game one would expect with Dodger pitcher Ramon Martinez facing the Braves’ Tom Glavine.

Martinez had a career 8-2 record with a 1.41 earned-run average against the Braves. But, although he pitched with more velocity than he did during his first two starts, he gave up five runs in eight innings, increasing his earned-run average to 4.32.

Glavine, the 1991 Cy Young Awardwinner, had a 2.41 ERA against the Dodgers last season and had given up one run in 17 1/3 innings this season. But in six innings, Glavine gave up eight hits and five runs, three earned.

Butler led off the Dodgers’ first inning with a single to left. Mike Sharperson then executed a perfect hit-and-run play, with Butler scoring when right fielder Brian Hunter picked up the ball and threw it into left field.

Although Sharperson was stranded on third base after three consecutive strikeouts, the Dodgers had finally made an early mark.

The Braves tied the score during the next inning when Gant scored easily on Greg Olson’s double.

With the score tied, the Dodgers seemed to let down one inning later when Glavine led off the third with a hard grounder down the third base line that could only be stopped , not thrown, by Sharperson.

Sanders then walked, and, two outs later, Martinez hung a pitch that Gant drove deep into the left-field stands for his third homer.

But the Dodgers immediately came back. With one out in the third, Sharperson drew a walk, then Eric Karros hit a grounder to first baseman Sid Bream.

Instead of settling for one out, Bream ignored first base and threw to second to start a double play.