Morgan Accepts a Warm Welcome : Baseball: Former teammates score against him early, but he outlasts them in a 4-2 victory that finishes sweep by Cubs.

One of the reasons the Dodgers let 14-game winner Mike Morgan get away last winter was the presence in the organization of promising youngsters such as Pedro Astacio.

Morgan, who signed as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs, faced Astacio on Sunday at Dodger Stadium in his first appearance against his former mates.

Overcoming a shaky beginning, Morgan went seven innings to beat the Dodgers and Astacio, 4-2, and give the Cubs a sweep of the three-game series.

Perhaps Astacio, a 22-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic making his fifth major league start, deserved a better fate.

He gave up 10 hits in seven innings, yielding three earned runs during a sixth inning in which he could have given up none with some good fielding.

The Dodgers, who had hits from the first three batters for a 2-0 first-inning lead, held that lead going into the sixth.

The Cubs had runners on first and second and one out when another former Dodger, Kal Daniels, hit what appeared to be a double play ball to second baseman Lenny Harris.

Harris juggled the ball, knocked it down and got only the out at first base.

Then, Steve Buechele, on a two-strike pitch, looped a single into center field to tie the score. Dwight Smith ripped a one-hopper barely inside first base for a triple, scoring Buechele for a 3-2 lead.

Another run was added against Tim Crews during the eighth inning.

“It was a double-play ball,” was Manager Tom Lasorda’s terse answer to a question on the decisive grounder.

Said Harris: “The ball came up on me. I’m glad I got one.”

Until Daniels’ ground ball, Harris was the Dodgers’ star. He doubled home two runs during the first inning and missed another RBI in the third when Jose Offerman was thrown out trying to score from second base on Harris’ single to center. Offerman had hesitated to make sure the ball was a hit, and center fielder Smith’s strong throw caught him easily.

Astacio, whose record fell to 2-2, impressed again with his pitching.

Former Dodger general manager Al Campanis, watching him from the press box, said, “With a little more experience, he’s going to be a good one.”

Mike Scioscia was more succinct. “He showed he’s for real,” the veteran catcher said. “They’ll get some hits off him, because he comes right at the hitter. He’s going to be a good one.”

Lasorda, after declaring that the Dodgers should have swept the Cubs instead of being swept, also liked what he saw from Astacio, whose two victories are shutouts.

Morgan, who said he wasn’t nervous to open the game, but had “competitive butterflies,” didn’t sound like someone happy to be away from the Dodgers.

“This is a class organization,” he said after improving to 12-6. “I enjoyed my time with them. It felt a little different pitching here against them.

“But I’m happy to be a Cub. When they score four runs, the record speaks for itself. I wasn’t worried about giving up the runs. It doesn’t make any difference when they are scored. I just like the idea of giving up just two runs.”

Manager Jim Lefebvre could hardly contain his glee. He and Lasorda are by no means best friends. But mainly, Lefebvre is excited about the Cubs. They have won four in a row and are 7 1/2 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“We have to keep going, but it’s exciting,” he said. “We are 5-1 on our trip to California, and 7-2 would be a great trip. We are really getting the pitching.”

Before the double play that wasn’t during the sixth inning, Astacio had extended his scoreless streak to 14 innings.

The Dodgers started against Morgan with a vengeance. Offerman singled and Brett Butler, who had homered in his previous at-bat Saturday night, dragged a bunt. He appeared to have it beaten and Morgan threw hurriedly and wild. Harris’ double scored Offerman and Butler. When the next three Dodgers failed to get the ball out of the infield, the second run was unearned.

Mostly, though, it has been giving up unearned runs that has been beating the Dodgers.

Dodger Attendance

Sunday: 27,894

1992 (62 dates): 2,135,715

1991 (62 dates): 2,589,330

Decrease: 453,615

1992 Average: 34,447

* ANGELS WIN IN 10TH

Luis Sojo hits a two-run home run to lead the way to a 7-3 victory over the New York Yankees in 10 innings. C9