Hershiser’s Pitching Doesn’t Stop the Slide : Baseball: He goes nine innings, but Dodgers waste their opportunities in 1-0 loss to the Astros and fall 11 1/2 games behind the Giants.

The air was thick and still Thursday, not unlike Dodger bats and spirits.

Their 11-game winning streak is now so far removed they can only cling to the memory and pray for an encore as they slide out of contention in the National League West.

Thursday, the Dodgers wasted a complete game from Orel Hershiser and a few choice opportunities as they succumbed once again to the Houston Astros, this time 1-0, before a sun-soaked crowd of 36,765 at Dodger Stadium.

Greg Swindell, who could barely hit the side of a barn lately, regained his form and earned his sixth victory against seven defeats, needing relief help from Brian Williams and Al Osuna, who got his second save.

The Astros took three of four games from the Dodgers in the series and have won 13 of the last 14 dating to last season. The Dodgers are looking forward to fresh opponents.

Hershiser scattered eight hits in recording his first complete-game loss since his well-documented shoulder surgery.

He slipped up only once, in the fourth, and it cost him the game. With two out, he gave up consecutive singles to Chris Donnels, Scott Servais and Andujar Cedeno, who poked a single under Tim Wallach’s glove at third to score Donnels.

The Dodgers then put three singles together in the fifth inning, but couldn’t score.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants were cleaning up on the Colorado Rockies up north to move 11 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers, who fell to fourth in the West.

After the Dodgers’ impressive winning streak a while back, it might seem difficult for a team to keep its collective chin up.

Hershiser, the optimist, does his best.

“Where would we be without the streak?” he asked after suffering his sixth loss to even his record. “We’d be 18 out. We have to hope San Francisco will cool off. No one’s going to beat them at that pace.”

For sure, no team’s going to catch them losing three of four at home.

The Dodgers got eight hits, but none when it counted.

Well, they got one, but it ended up exploding in their faces.

The Dodgers’ best chance to tie the score came in the seventh, when Mike Sharperson reached base with one out on an error.

After Hershiser struck out, Brett Butler ripped a pitch from Swindell into the right-field corner.

Turns out Butler hit it too hard. With Sharperson racing around second, the ball bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. Sharperson, who no doubt would have scored had the ball remained in play, was forced back to third base.

Hershiser said of Butler’s hit: “When he first hit it, we were hoping it would go out. Then we remembered who hit it. Then we were saying, ‘Stay in here, stay in here.’ ”

But the ball had a mind of its own, bouncing into the first few rows.

“For the comfort of our fans, we have a low wall,” Hershiser said sarcastically.

With runners on second and third and two out, Williams relieved Swindell and faced Jose Offerman, who turned around to bat left-handed.

The Dodgers almost tied the score when Williams’ first pitch was a one-hopper to the catcher, Servais.

But Williams eventually got Offerman to ground out to end the threat.

Dodger opportunities were rare. After Hershiser was held up at third on Offerman’s two-out single in the fifth, Eric Davis came to the plate with the bases loaded. But he grounded out to third.

Swindell, who had not won since May 23, kept Dodger batters off balance most of the day.

He gave up seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking one.

“It was a classic matchup,” Houston Manager Art Howe said. “Hershiser pitched a heck of a game. We put some hits on him early and made one count.”

Even on a hot, muggy day, Hershiser finished what he started. Between innings, he went to the Dodger clubhouse to seek relief from the heat. He gave up eight hits, struck out four and walked two.

“I wasn’t frustrated losing the game,” Hershiser said. “I go out and do the best I can, win or lose, and take the results. Today I did the best I could and got beat.”

The Dodgers mounted a meek charge with two out in the ninth, when pinch-hitter Henry Rodriguez singled to left. Howe then summoned Osuna from the bullpen, and he got Carlos Hernandez to fly out and end the game.

* STRAWBERRY FINED

The injured outfielder is docked a day’s pay--$19,230.76--after arriving late to the ballpark. C8