Candiotti Superb, but Worrell Wins : Dodgers: Reliever gets first victory as team rallies in ninth to beat Cardinals, 3-2. Lasorda gets 1,400th.

The Dodgers, who seem to win when Tom Candiotti pitches even if they don’t win for Candiotti, won in dramatic fashion Friday when they scored three runs in the ninth inning to beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2, at Busch Stadium.

“Always the ninth inning--tonight, last night, the night before . . . ,” said Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda, not necessarily referring to ninth-inning victories but the number of times his stomach has been tied in knots lately.

But this game, which gave Lasorda his 1,400th victory and moved him to 19th place in all-time games won, sent the team happily into the clubhouse for the first time in, well, some time.

“I think you all know that things have not clicked real well this year,” said Todd Worrell (1-1), who pitched the eighth inning and earned his first victory as a Dodger. “There have been some negative feelings and some criticisms here and there, and I think it was good to clear it and let the guys have a good time.”

Candiotti, who gave up two earned runs and seven hits, left the game for a pinch-hitter with the score 2-0 after seven innings. It has become almost routine for Candiotti to give a solid effort and leave with little offensive support, then watch from the bench as the team wins.

“It’s kind of nice from a personal standpoint that the team has gone on to win,” said Candiotti, whose earned-run average remained at a league-leading 2.49. “Usually I give way to Pedro (Martinez), and he gets the win. Tonight it was Todd, and I am happy for him. He’s had a tough season with high expectations; so it’s good, even if it is at my expense.”

Worrell faced four batters in the eighth inning, giving up one hit. But after the Dodgers came back to score three runs, two against starter Rene Arocha and the winning run off reliever Lee Smith (2-4), it wasn’t Worrell that was put back in to close the game out. It was Jim Gott, who earned his second save in two nights to give him a team-high 24.

It’s a situation that clearly seems to be grating on Worrell, who talked after the game about how difficult it is for him to come back from a season full of injuries without getting the innings he needs.

“The thing is, anytime you have a stopper, he is going to continue to struggle throughout the year,” said Worrell, who saved 129 games for the Cardinals from 1985-1992. He has only one save this year.

“Whoever you decide to go with, that’s the guy you have to live and die with. If you are going to try and bring a guy back, specifically in my situation, you are going to have to live with the struggles. I will continue to struggle unless I am able to work through it and you stay with me.

“I don’t feel I have enough innings since I have come back from my rehab. . . . I don’t think I have thrown 10 innings since I’ve been back and that’s two months. To me, that’s the difference between me pitching effectively and me struggling.”

Arocha had held the Dodgers scoreless on two hits until Brett Butler led off the ninth inning with a triple off the right-field wall and scored on a groundout by Jose Offerman. After Mike Piazza followed with a line drive to center, Lee Smith took the mound. Henry Rodriguez’s single to the hole at short tied the score, 2-2, and Tim Wallach’s line drive to center won it.