Dodgers Lose, Fall 13 Back

If the Dodgers are trying to make the median age of their team a little younger, they got confirmation to stick with their plan Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.

But not because of their kids.

Watching Brian Williams and Jeff Bagwell along with the other junior Houston Astros play solid baseball to beat them, 5-1, and put them deeper in the cellar of the National League would be reason enough.

The Dodgers, who had a chance to move ahead of Houston, instead fell another game behind and trail the Astros by 1 1/2 games. It is the first time since July 18, 1990, that the Dodgers have been 13 games out of first place.

The loss sent Kevin Gross, the beleaguered Dodger starter, muttering to reporters as he walked away.

“I don’t know how to pitch any better than I did tonight,” Gross said. “You guys don’t need to talk to me tonight. I’m not in a good mood.”

The Dodgers have scored only 33 runs for Gross in his 13 starts, and eight of those runs came in a no-decision. Gross’ record dropped to 3-8.

Bagwell, last year’s NL rookie of the year, put the Astros ahead in the first inning when he hit a fastball to right field for a home run, his ninth. He later figured into three more of the Astro runs: He singled during the fourth inning and scored, sacrificed to score Craig Biggio during the sixth and singled to drive Biggio in again during the eighth.

“I’ve been getting lucky, but after struggling early in the season, I guess this is some retribution,” said Bagwell, who is eight for 12 during this home stand with four runs batted in and one home run.

“We are just doing the best we can,” he added.

But it was Williams, who spent the first part of this season in the minor leagues, who kept the crowd of 36,219 uneasy through 5 2/3 innings as he no-hit the Dodgers. This was the third time in five career starts that Williams has had a shutout through at least the first five innings.

Williams, 23, retired the first 12, then threw four consecutive balls to Eric Karros during the fifth inning. But with one out, Dave Hansen hit a hard liner to first baseman Bagwell, who stepped on the base and then helped get Karros in a rundown to put an end to any threat.

It was Stan Javier, who, perhaps fittingly for Gross, put an end to Williams’ no-hitter. With two out in the sixth inning, Javier, pinch-hitting for Gross, hit an inside fastball and grounded down the third-base line for a double. Brett Butler followed by lining a double down the first-base line, scoring Javier.

“I knew I was throwing shutout ball and my adrenaline was pumping,” said Williams, who improved to 3-0. “I just tried to stay calm, and stay within myself. But Javier drew his hands inside and took a good swing. So, I lost an inning. There will be more.”

Williams struggled during spring training and didn’t make the team. But after he went 6-1 at triple-A Tucson, the Astros brought him up. “We went into spring training with Brian definitely in our plans,” Houston Manager Art Howe said. “But he struggled all spring. Since we called him up from Tucson, he has been throwing outstandingly, but tonight was his best so far. He is becoming a very complete pitcher and getting his off-speed pitches over.”

The Dodgers’ Eric Davis twice struck out on called strikes, but still the fans cheered him when he came to the plate during the seventh inning. If not for Davis’ two diving catches in left, the Dodgers would have been in worse shape.

“I feel good (when the fans cheer), but we have got to play all aspects of the game,” Davis said. “If I get a chance to make a play, I make it. Some guys don’t get a hit, and then they don’t play defense. I’m not like that. I don’t take my offense to my defense or my defense to my offense.

“But everything about losing is disappointing. . . . You’ve got to win more than you lose.”

* KAL DANIELS TRADED

He goes to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named. C8

* SANDY AMOROS DIES

The Dodgers’ World Series hero of 1955 was 62. C9