Candiotti Baffles Phillies : Dodgers: Knuckleballer gets first victory after striking out nine in eight innings, 5-1.

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda held a team meeting before Saturday night’s game to try to encourage his players after a tough loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

He told them to put April behind them, it’s May.

They took the message to heart.

Tom Candiotti, who struggled through April along with the rest of the Dodgers, retired the first nine Phillies and struck out nine on his way to a 5-1 victory before 44,023 at Dodger Stadium.

But there was more to the game than Candiotti. There was also a big break.

With the bases loaded, no outs and the Dodgers hanging onto a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning, Mark Davis threw a 3-and-2 curveball to Jose Offerman that was called a ball. Mike Piazza scored, and catcher Darren Daulton and Manager Jim Fregosi argued the call so furiously, they were ejected from the game.

But what followed was something also not seen very often with this team, which has a habit of stranding runners in scoring position. Brett Butler’s flare to left scored Cory Snyder and Jody Reed’s drive to left got under Mariano Duncan’s glove to score Lenny Harris.

Jim Gott, who usually rots in the bullpen waiting for a lead to protect, entered the ninth inning with his team leading, 5-1.

“We have played with intensity since Philadelphia,” Reed said. “We really have. But for this team to come back like tonight after last night’s loss and play tough and not hang our heads is great. Things are going to turn around, hopefully. I think anybody watching can see the difference.”

The Dodgers beat the Phillies despite missing three starters--Darryl Strawberry, Eric Davis and Tim Wallach. Strawberry will be out until at least Tuesday because of lower back stiffness. Davis has a sprained muscle under his rib cage and Wallach has back spasms.

“Candiotti pitched a heck of a game and we didn’t beat ourselves,” Davis said. “When we do that, we are a good club. (Playing without three starters) shows the versatility of our club. It’s not like you take a big dramatic fall.”

Piazza extended his hitting streak to eight games when he hit a home run, his fifth of the season, off Phillie starter Ben Rivera into the right-field pavilion to put the Dodgers ahead, 2-0.

“I had experience last season pitching with that kind of lead,” Candiotti said. “But you don’t worry about runs. You worry about what you are doing out there.”

Candiotti (1-3) had a one-run lead after the first inning, after Butler led off with a single to center and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Mitch Webster.

Butler, who leads the team with a .333 average, has reached base in the first inning in seven consecutive games--five times on singles, twice on walks. Three times he has scored.

Of the three injured starters, Strawberry’s situation is the most serious. Dr. Robert Watkins, who performed Strawberry’s back surgery in September, said he found no nerve damage, but the disabled list is a possibility if his back isn’t improved.

“The problem is entirely in twisting, that’s the thing that bothers him,” Watkins said.

Twisting, as in batting.

“The extra batting practice he is taking is straining his back and his back is affecting his hitting,” Watkins said. “He wasn’t hitting well so he was concentrating on doing the extra things in baseball. Now he will put the extra time in the rehabilitation program and the minimum extra in baseball.”

In their last six games, Davis is batting .583 and Wallach .333.

“Now’s not the time (to miss games), everybody needs to be out there,” Wallach said.