Last Place Is Growing on Dodgers

On their record-tying 21st consecutive day as the lone resident of last place in the National League West on Monday, the Dodgers looked like a team intent on putting down roots.

Kevin Gross supplied the power with 12 strikeouts, Brett Butler came off the bench to get a seventh-inning pinch single and stolen base, but once again the Dodgers lacked the basics.

With three errors and no clutch hits, the Dodgers fell to the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, before 28,700 at Dodger Stadium.

“Same old story,” Manager Tom Lasorda said.

And it contained the same old ending--the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning, runners on first and second. But Mike Sharperson then grounded to first baseman Mark Grace.

The Cubs had scored two unearned runs on Grace’s two-run triple and two errors against two Dodger relievers one inning earlier.

As their two-game winning streak ended, the Dodgers also tied the Los Angeles franchise record for longest last-place stay set by the 1979 team, which eventually finished third. Because they are two games out of fourth place, they will break that record tonight.

It was the Cubs’ first victory at Dodger Stadium since 1990, and their third since 1989. Grace drove in all of their runs with two triples after going two for 24 in this stadium last year.

Afterward, however, Grace couldn’t stop talking about Gross, who struck him out twice, nearly equaling Grace’s previous season total of three strikeouts.

“I’ve seen him for five years, and this is the best I’ve seen him,” Grace said of Gross.

“He is the best pitcher I’ve seen this year.”

And Grace has seen a few good pitchers. The Cubs have been shut out seven times.

Gross, making his second consecutive strong start, gave up three hits and one run in seven innings. In his last two starts, Gross has lowered his earned-run average more than one full point to 2.70 while giving up one run in 16 innings with 25 strikeouts.

Gross has struck out 10 or more seven times during his 10-year career, twice in the last week. Second baseman Ryne Sandberg struck out three times.

“I don’t think I’ve struck out Sandberg three times in my life,” Gross said.

“I’ve been pitching good since the spring, and now it’s all coming together.”

The Cubs’ Jose Vizcaino started the eighth inning against Jim Gott with a grounder that skipped past second baseman Sharperson, his first error in 28 games this year.

Mike Scioscia then bounced Bob Scanlan’s bunt past Jose Offerman at second base, with both runners safe. Two outs later, Grace tripled down the right-field line against John Candelaria to make the score 3-0.

The result was not unexpected for Gross, who is used to receiving little offensive support. In his six starts this season, the offense has given him 11 runs, and few pitchers can win with 1.8 runs per game.

“I think the only time we have scored four runs for me, I gave up four runs,” said Gross (1-4).

“It stinks that when you are pitching good, you don’t get runs, and vice versa. But that’s just the way it happens in this game. We just have to keep battling.”

The Dodgers went hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position Monday , and are batting .215 as a team in those situations.

This time they failed against Frank Castillo, who had given up five runs in two-thirds of an inning in his only other career starter at Dodger Stadium, before a gathering of more than 50 members of his family and friends Sept. 1. This time he gave up four hits in 6 2/3 innings.

After Butler’s two-out bunt single during the seventh inning finally put him out of the game, Paul Assenmacher and Bob Scanlan combined to walked Sharperson. But Stan Javier hit a chopper over the mound that the 6-foot-8 Scanlan caught and threw to first for the final out.

CHANGING CHANNELS: The Dodgers will switch from Channel 11 to Channel 5 next season. C6