Reds Soil Dodgers’ Plans, 4-3

With how well the Dodgers have been playing lately and how poorly Darryl Strawberry has played all season, there seemed to be little impact on the team before its 4-3 10th-inning loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, when Strawberry announced he was going back on the disabled list.

Strawberry, put on the 15-day disabled list, said it will clearly take longer than that to heal his surgically repaired back.

But sitting in the dugout at Riverfront Stadium were three pieces of new sod, flown in from Los Angeles, which were supposed to help the Dodgers out. The team, which was 0-9 on artificial turf this season until it placed sod in the dugout on the last trip, had hoped to keep that magic alive.

With sod in the dugout, the Dodgers were 4-2. But that sod died and the new sod didn’t do the job.

The Dodgers, trailing, 3-2, in the ninth inning, came back to tie the score against Rob Dibble on two walks, an error and a wild pitch. But in the 10th inning, Bobby Ayala (2-3) silenced the Dodger bats and the Reds went ahead when Barry Larkin’s grounder off Jim Gott (2-3) eluded Eric Karros’ glove, scoring Dan Wilson from second base.

After Wilson singled, he was called safe at second when he beat out Karros’ throw to Jose Offerman of Jeff Branson’s sacrifice bunt.

So with new Darryl or no Darryl, no sod or new sod, it was the Reds who finally caught the magic. For the third time in seven games, Dibble has blown the Reds’ lead in the ninth inning, with his team going on to lose the other two games.

“I stink and I know I stink, the fans have got a right to boo me and they certainly did,” said Dibble, who has five saves and a 4.73 earned-run average.

Eric Davis, running for Cory Snyder in the ninth, scored the tying run. It was Davis’ first time playing in Cincinnati since he was traded to the Dodgers before last season and he received a mixed welcome. “It was mostly applause,” Davis said. “They still love me here.”

It was the Dodgers’ comeback victory over the Cincinnati Reds on May 17 that sent the club on its way to an 11-game winning streak and put it back in contention in the National League West.

The loss, however, spoiled an impressive performance by Tom Candiotti, who had his knuckleball working even better than his last outing in San Diego, when he also left the game with no decision. Also impressive was the catching of Carlos Hernandez, who gave Mike Piazza a day off until Hernandez left while at bat in the ninth inning because of a sore rib, which he had strained on a throw to second base earlier in the game.

“It was fun for me, the ball was moving so much,” said Candiotti, who gave up three runs, five hits and struck out eight in six innings. “A couple of the guys were laughing. After I struck out Bip Roberts, he started laughing and when I turned around, Lenny (Harris) was laughing.”

Harris, who started at second base in place of Jody Reed, was two for three and scored a run in the fifth inning to cut the Reds’ lead to 3-2. Reed, out with a hyper-extended elbow after being spiked by Andres Galarraga, is day to day.

Pedro Martinez also was impressive, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced, striking out four and giving up one hit in three innings.

Strawberry, who also still thinks like a starter, said his frustration with playing so poorly is what caused him to go back on the disabled list.

“It was the not knowing how he feels when he comes to the park, whether he can play and do it successfully, all of these things were in our minds all the time,” Lasorda said.

* STRAWBERRY SIDELINED

Dodger outfielder is put on the 15-day disabled list. C10