Dodgers Turn to Platoon : Baseball: With Harris and Sharperson in lineup at the same time, they beat Astros, 8-5.

After spending three seasons battling with the question of whether to start Lenny Harris or Mike Sharperson, Tom Lasorda is suddenly considering an easier question.

Why not both?

Why not, indeed? There being no rule against putting your two hottest hitters on the same lineup card, Lasorda tried it for a third consecutive game Thursday night and was rewarded by the Dodgers’ 8-5 victory over the Houston Astros before 31,632 at Dodger Stadium.

If the rest of the record home stand goes as smoothly, it will be the shortest 18 days in club history.

Sharperson, playing second base and batting second as in the last two games, had three hits to improve his team-leading average to .343.

Harris, starting in right field for the first time in his career and batting third, had two doubles and two runs batted in to improve his average to .297.

In the three games the platoon infielders have played together this year, the Dodgers are 2-1, and Harris and Sharperson have combined to bat .417 (10 for 24) with four RBIs.

“We both go out and have fun and hope it carries over to everybody else,” said Harris, who entertained the crowd by diving after a foul ball down the right-field line. “What we carry around with us out there, we think it can make things better.”

Helping the Dodgers win for the second time in three games after their 10-game losing streak, the platoon was part of the reason that Dodger nemesis Jimmy Jones needed 34 pitches to get out of a four-run first inning.

Those runs made it easy for Ramon Martinez, who won his first game in nearly a month despite leaving in the seventh inning after aggravating a left hip injury.

For emphasis, after Harris moved to third base in the eighth inning, the two players combined to complete an inning-ending double play and halt an Astro rally at one run.

“We both always hoped we would get the opportunity to play together, except certain guys always had to play in front of us,” Sharperson said. “But that was when we were winning. Now that we aren’t winning, we have our chance.”

With three games remaining against Houston this weekend, the Dodgers are 1 1/2 games from climbing over the Astros and out of last place.

And Lasorda, who gave the team a short pep talk before the game, may not be through making moves.

“Lenny and Sharpy are tremendous guys to have on the club. I know they will give us a lift,” Lasorda said. “But you never know who I will put in the outfield tomorrow.”

Juan Samuel perhaps?

Scoring more in one inning than they had scored last weekend at Houston, the Dodgers had four runs by the time eight batters had come to the plate.

They hurt Jones with run-scoring hits by Harris, Eric Davis, Jose Offerman (three for four) and a run-scoring fielding error by left fielder Luis Gonzalez.

Trailing, 4-0, after that inning, Jones didn’t make it past the fifth while losing to the Dodgers for the first time since June 19, 1988.

The most damage done by Jones was to the body of Dodger catcher Carlos Hernandez, who was hit by pitches twice, in the right hand and left hip.

The Dodgers added runs in the fourth and fifth before clinching it with a two-run triple by Brett Butler in the seventh.

Martinez, meanwhile, needed a little help to beat the Astros for the first time since June 20, 1990.

Making his first start in 11 days because of a strained left hip, Martinez gave up four runs, two earned, in six innings to break a three-game losing streak and record his first victory since his shutout in Chicago May 29.

The help appeared in the seventh, with the Dodgers leading, 6-2. Martinez’s hip appeared to be bothering him when he issued a leadoff walk to Craig Biggio and gave up a run-scoring double to Steve Finley.

Martinez then worked to a full count on Jeff Bagwell before being escorted from the mound by assistant trainer Charlie Strasser.

“It just started hurting on one pitch to Bagwell,” Martinez said. “I wanted to get out of there before it got worse. I think it will be fine.”

Jay Howell gave up an infield hit to Bagwell and a run-scoring single to Luis Gonzalez, but then halted the tide. He induced Ken Caminiti into a grounder that forced Bagwell at home plate, and struck out Pete Incaviglia.

John Candelaria then struck out Eric Anthony, the ninth-inning hero last weekend in Houston, to leave it at 6-4.