Dodgers Are Drenched by the Expos : Baseball: Wetteland gets two saves as Montreal sweeps L.A., 4-1 and 4-0. Davis and Benzinger sit out.

The good news for those yearning masses huddled beneath umbrellas Tuesday night was that there still has not been a rainout at Dodger Stadium since 1988.

That was also the bad news.

The umpires made the Dodgers finish what they started, resulting in two games that were uglier than the skies, a doubleheader sweep by the Montreal Expos, 4-1 and 4-0.

In their first three of four doubleheaders, the Dodgers have swept two and been swept once, with the triple-double finale today.

“Doubleheaders can be mentally draining,” Dodger pitcher Tim Crews said. “It’s likegetting in a boat and rowing for a hundred miles.”

The first-game loss was highlighted by a curveball thrown to Kevin Gross by the Dodger dugout, then a curveball thrown by Gross. That pitch led to Delino DeShields’ three-run home run during the seventh inning.

Jonathan Hurst’s first major league victory with 7 1/3 scoreless innings highlighted the second game. It ruined Crews’ one-run effort in his first start in nearly two years.

The Dodgers’ final insult was named John Wetteland. The former Dodger saved both games by retiring seven of the nine batters he faced. He has 16 saves, equaling the output of the entire Dodger bullpen.

Now there is at least one person out there who thinks trading Wetteland last winter was a good idea.

“I’m finally getting a chance to stay in the bullpen and not starting,” Wetteland said. “The Dodgers wanted a hard-throwing starter, and I didn’t fit that role.”

Before 26,511 fans who suffered through a light but steady rain during most of the second game, the Dodgers suffered the first doubleheader sweep here since June 19, 1988, against the San Diego Padres.

The Dodgers’ Eric Davis sat out both games because of a strained groin. Todd Benzinger also sat out both games, because of a virus.

Darryl Strawberry played only in the first game because he is still recovering from a back injury. And Mike Sharperson sat out the second game because of a strained right groin.

All of this meant Lenny Harris was forced to make two starts in left field for the first time since Aug. 23, 1989, in Montreal. He played 22 innings that night, and 12 innings Tuesday. He had a couple of running catches and an assist to the plate.

“I can’t do anything. I have no one to play,” Manager Tom Lasorda said.

While the Expos needed only a second-inning sacrifice fly ball by Rick Cerone in the second game, the score of the first game was 1-1 until the seventh inning, when Gross gave up two hits in one inning for the first time.

But he was bothered as much by the man he put on first base intentionally.

It happened after Tim Wallach led off the seventh inning with a double to left field.

After Darrin Fletcher flied to center, Gross was ordered to walk Spike Owen, who was batting .248. This was so Gross could face pinch-hitter Tom Foley, who would bat for pitcher Mark Gardner.

This meant that there was a good chance that DeShields, batting behind Foley, would bat thatinning.

Because DeShields tied an Expo record with six hits in a doubleheader Monday, Gross would have rather faced Owen and the pitchers’ spot.

“I didn’t think we needed to walk Owen; I would rather pitch to him and the next guy,” Gross said. “I would rather walk guys like Fred McGriff, not Owen.”

But he threw the four balls and kept his mouth shut.

“Have you ever tried arguing with Tommy (Lasorda)?” Gross asked. “You can’t do that on the mound, anyway. That would be showing somebody up.”

After striking out Foley, he hung a 1-and-1 curveball to DeShields, who hit it into the right-field stands for his third home run.

With three hits in the second game, DeShields has gone 10 for 17 in these two doubleheaders, and 21 for 39 (.538) against the Dodgers this season.

“He’s got a little lightning in his hands,” said Felipe Alou, Expo manager.

It is the second time a Dodger starting pitcher has questioned an intentional walk this season. Tom Candiotti was asking the same questions after a 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh on June 2.

“Number 1, we wanted to get Gardner out of the game,” Lasorda said. “By walking Owen, we get Gardner out and try to get two outs, then work on DeShields. As it was, we got the pinch-hitter and DeShields hit a bad pitch.

“I wouldn’t have done anything differently.”

In the dugout after the seventh inning, Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia knocked over a plastic container.

“It think he was frustrated that we were throwing so many breaking balls,” Gross said. “I don’t think he was mad at me, I think he was mad at the situation.”

DeShields agreed that Gross threw plenty of curveballs, which moved far less than they did in Montreal on May 12. That was when Gross struck out 13 in his only shutout of the season.

“He threw me (curveballs) all game,” DeShields said. “To me, he couldn’t get his fastballover.”

After giving up four runs and five hits in seven innings, Gross fell to 4-9 while his earned-run average rose to 4.00. In Gross’ last five losses, the Dodgers have scored five runs.

“Maybe I’m just not meant to win in L.A., I don’t know,” Gross said.

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