A Stirring Effort by Scioscia : Baseball: With Strawberry hospitalized, catcher provides needed lift as the Dodgers beat the Mets, 6-3.

With outfielder Darryl Strawberry in the hospital, the Dodgers in last place and catcher Mike Scioscia in a slump that had dropped his batting average well below his weight, the team was in desperate need of a spark.

What it got might better be described as a jolt.

During the second inning of Sunday’s game against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium, Scioscia brought his 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame to the plate, along with his .198 batting average, found a pitch to his liking and successfully laid down a bunt.

Scioscia’s bold move was no laughing matter to the Mets. He scored on a triple by Jose Offerman to break a 1-1 tie, later added his second home run of the season and the Dodgers went on defeat the Mets, 6-3, before 37,187.

The Dodgers improved to only 13-20, but it was their second consecutive victory--the first time they have managed that modest feat in nearly a month.

There was other good news in the wake of Saturday’s announcement that Strawberry has been put on the disabled list because of a herniated disk.

Two players are coming back off that list--Kal Daniels, sidelined because of a sore right knee, and relief pitcher Jay Howell, sidelined because of a shoulder problem.

It didn’t look as if there would be much for the Dodgers to smile about after the first three pitches of Sunday’s game.

Dodger starter Ramon Martinez threw two balls to New York’s leadoff hitter, Chico Walker. Walker hit the third pitch into the seats in right-center field for his first home run of the season.

The Dodger right-hander settled down quickly to improve his record to 2-1.

“In his last three games, he has thrown with good velocity,” Manager Tom Lasorda said of Martinez. “He didn’t show me that in spring training. He really struggled.

“Even Jack Nicklaus, one of the greatest golfers who ever lived, has a coach who works with him and gets him back in the groove when he needs it.

“It’s the same thing with our guys. When they get out of sync, it’s up to the coaches and the manager to get them back in.”

Martinez is ready to put his problems behind him.

“I struggled a little the first couple of starts,” he said. “I had control problems. I was overthrowing.”

Martinez gave up one more home run before departing in the eighth inning. Former teammate Eddie Murray hit a curve from Martinez halfway up the right-field bleachers during the sixth inning.

Murray had been hitless in 13 at-bats against the Dodgers coming into Sunday. But he finished with two hits and another run batted in, on a sacrifice fly.

It wasn’t enough against a nine-hit Dodger attack that dropped the Mets to 21-17 and starter Anthony Young to 2-3.

Dodger outfielder Eric Davis, who broke out of a four-for-44 slump Saturday with an RBI double, had two more doubles Sunday, one of them driving in his team’s first run.

The Dodgers broke the game open with four runs in the sixth inning. A run-scoring double by Todd Benzinger and a run-scoring single by Dave Hansen preceded Scioscia’s two-run homer.

It was Scioscia’s first home run with a man on base since August of 1990. He had hit 10 solo homers.

Scioscia’s recent slump was partially caused by a bad back, too.

“That bunt,” he said, “was a last resort.”

When Martinez tired, Steve Wilson and Roger McDowell finished, McDowell getting his fourthsave.

So is there truly life after Strawberry?

Benzinger thinks so.

“I was surprised to read in the paper,” he said, “how much we think we need Darryl. Over the long haul we need him, but it’s not certain we’re a last-place team without him. We can win without him.

“We’re a good team. The next few weeks will be a good test. People will find out we didn’t panic. We had already hit bottom before.

“Missing Darryl is a blow. But if we were playing like we did before, even with him, we still weren’t going anywhere.”

Dodger Attendance

Sunday: 37,187

1992 (15 dates): 592,291

1991 (15 dates): 608,679

Decrease: 16,388

Average: 39,486