Dodgers Can’t Get It Going : Baseball: Gross’ fine game a day earlier quickly forgotten in anemic 5-1 loss to Expos.

From Gross to gross.

One night after celebrating their best-pitched game in nearly two years, the Dodgers slipped back into their baseball funk Wednesday during a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Expos before 17,562 at Olympic Stadium.

Remember how Kevin Gross pitched a shutout and struck out 13 Tuesday?

One night later, Orel Hershiser was forced out of the game after five innings because his weak offense needed a pinch-hitter. He struck out three.

Remember how Darryl Strawberry hit a two-run homer Tuesday?

One night later, with his back hurting again, Strawberry struck out four times against Mark Gardner and former Dodger John Wetteland.

Remember how the Dodgers said their 2-0 victory Tuesday was going to lead to greater things?

It led to their 10th loss in 12 games and their sixth loss on this just-concluded eight-game trip. They averaged 2.2 runs per game on the trip and batted .215.

“I just don’t understand why our concentration can be good one night and not the next night,” said Mitch Webster, whose second home run accounted for the Dodger run and one of the team’s three hits.

If nothing else, the Dodgers should be concentrating on removing themselves from last place.

When they take the Dodger Stadium field Friday for the start of a home stand, they will have been in last place 17 consecutive days, four days short of the Los Angeles record for consecutive days in last place set in 1979.

“We need to turn this around pretty quick,” said Hershiser, who gave up three runs and six hits in five innings.

“I felt pretty good about coming into tonight, the club had played so well the day before. But one game doesn’t make a winning streak. You have to win more than one game in a row.”

Strawberry said that the team’s makeshift lineups make winning streaks nearly impossible.

For a third consecutive game, Eric Davis missed a start with a tight hamstring. And with Kal Daniels still out, Eric Karros struck out three times against right-handed pitchers, making him two for 16 against right-handers with 11 strikeouts.

Gardner retired the first 16 Dodgers before Jose Offerman walked in the sixth inning. Stan Javier, hitting for Hershiser, then singled for the first L.A. hit, but Gardner stranded the runners.

“We’ve got to get healthy and put a quality team on the field,” Strawberry said. “The guys who are playing, they are fill-in players, guys who aren’t used to putting up big numbers.”

The Dodgers had a chance to change their fortunes in Wednesday’s game, after Webster’s home run pulled them to within 3-1 and then pinch-hitter Todd Benzinger singled with two out in the eighth.

Out went Gardner, who threw nine hitless innings against the Dodgers last summer, and in came Wetteland. Once again, the Dodgers lost the battle of the bullpens.

Wetteland struck out Brett Butler looking to end the inning, then Tim Crews and Kip Gross combined to give up two Expo runs in the bottom of the inning.

“That kills us,” Strawberry said. “We were down 3-1 with the top of the order coming up, then we’re down 5-1? That takes the hope out.”

Wetteland retired the Dodgers in order in the ninth, striking out Strawberry and Webster to end the game and show the Dodgers what they were missing.

While Wetteland was picking up his fifth save in seven opportunities, the Dodger bullpen was finishing a trip during which they gave up 14 runs in 23 2/3 innings (a 5.32 earned-run average) with one save in three opportunities.

It is safe to say that Wetteland, who was traded to the Cincinnati Reds last winter as part of the Eric Davis deal before being traded again to Montreal, was thrilled to be in a new bullpen.

“I never realized how awesome it would be to have a job that I love to do,” Wetteland said. “It’s different, very different.”

Wetteland said that it was hard being in the Dodger bullpen because, he said, the relievers’ roles often change.

“With everybody having a clear-cut role, it alleviates a lot of pressure,” he said. “With the Dodgers, I’d just be another guy in the pen.”

When asked about Wetteland, Lasorda admired his control, saying, “He threw the ball good, but he’s always thrown the ball good. He just never threw it like that (for strikes) with us.”

The East trip was good for a few--Webster batted .286 with two home runs, three triples, one double and four runs batted in--but it was miserable for most.

Infielders Karros and Dave Hansen combined to bat .119 (five for 42) with two RBIs. Karros is hitting .226, Hansen .122.

Davis batted .100 (two for 20) and Butler .219.