BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : April Love? No, They Won Eight

Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ executive vice president, described the team’s dismal start fairly simply.

“It was a poor month, we didn’t play well in any category,” Claire said. “We didn’t hit well and that is reflected in the record we have.”

The Dodgers ended April with an 8-15 record and in last place in the National League West, 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Astros. Their winning percentage of .348 is their lowest for April since 1958, when the club moved to Los Angeles and finished their first month at 5-9 and .347.

The only team in the majors with a winning percentage worse than the Dodgers is the Cleveland Indians, with .318.

The Dodgers were also three games out and in last place after April of last season, but their record was 9-13.

The Dodgers ended the month with the worst team batting average in baseball, .227.

It wasn’t until the Dodgers’ last game of the month, a 7-6 loss to Philadelphia on Friday night, that the team played with intensity for an entire game.

“We just fought the whole game and it was a tough loss,” said Tim Wallach, who sat out Friday’s game because of back spasms. “We played with fire and that is something we haven’t had. We fought to get to the point to win the game and we did that, but then the Phillies made a great play to stop us. Right now we are not getting the breaks, but you make your own breaks. We fought to the end, and that is something we haven’t done before.”

Eric Davis, who is nine for nine in stolen bases this season, leads the club and has stolen 23 consecutive bases since last season. He has stolen 275 of 313 in his career. . . . Pete Arbogast, the Dodger public address announcer, coordinated the installation of a plaque in the press box honoring the late John Ramsey, who was the Dodgers’ public address announcer from 1962-82.