Dodgers Again Show Errors of Their Ways : Baseball: L.A. commits seven more as the Giants win, 7-3. Offerman has three, giving him 40.

They didn’t make their first mistake until the game was five minutes old.

Jose Offerman misplayed a difficult grounder, then bounced it into the sixth row.

Three batters, two errors.

By the time the Dodgers left the field Friday, their heads were hung, the crowd was jeering, and official scorer Terry Bales was exhausted.

During a 7-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants before 23,865 at Dodger Stadium, they committed seven errors, tying a Los Angeles record set in 1972.

“A disaster,” Manager Tom Lasorda said.

After committing their final error with one out in the seventh inning when Mitch Webster threw past home plate from center field, they had 10 more chances to break the record. They even had an outside shot at the National League record of 11 errors.

But much to the dismay of those who cheered with every grounder and pop fly, the Dodgers fielded everything else cleanly.

“It’s just been a very tough year,” Lenny Harris said. “Places you go around town, people come up to you and say, “You stink.’ ”

Not that the fans had any reason to crow. After being sarcastically cheered while catching an easy pop fly during the seventh inning, Offerman threw a ball into the stands.

Two fans dropped it.

The fielding was so bad, the press box received a call from the dugout during the game on behalf of Tom Candiotti complaining the the Dodgers should have been assessed one more error.

The questionable play occurred on a bobbled grounded by Offerman during the fifth inning that was ruled a hit for rookie pitcher Larry Carter.

“It was like the first play of the game set the tone,” Candiotti said. “Offerman got two errors when it should have been a hit and an error. He got down. He lost his concentration.

“Then, in the fifth inning, he could have made that play, and didn’t. That was a bad call.”

Even for the worst fielding team in baseball, it was a night of aberrant behavior. Seven errors is more than the St. Louis Cardinals commit every two weeks. Seven errors is as many as Ozzie Smith has committed in 106 games.

Offerman had a three-error night that included a sixth-inning throw in the dirt. His 40 errors, most in baseball, are the most by a National League player since Garry Templeton committed 40 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1978.

Errors were also made by all three outfielders--Webster, Henry Rodriguez, Billy Ashley--and second baseman Harris.

Four errors were made on wild throws, three on grounders. The Dodgers’ only hope of avoiding the cellar for the first time since 1905 is to pass the fifth-place Giants, who lead them by seven games.

Candiotti has only three victories in 15 starts since June 7, perhaps because he has given up 10 unearned runs during that time. Friday night, he gave up five runs, three earned.

“You want to smell the roses . . . but there haven’t been any sweet-smelling roses around here this year,” Harris said. “There’s just been a lot of dead roses.”