Worrell Twists; Lasorda Shouts : Baseball: Reliever ignores manager’s message to hold runner and blows two-run lead in 5-4 loss to Marlins.

When it was over, and Manager Tom Lasorda had finished screaming in the clubhouse, and Todd Worrell had finished explaining how he blew Pedro Astacio’s game, it all came down to this: Not only do the Dodgers have a closer who can’t close, but he’s not comfortable holding runners on and pitching at the same time. Even when it’s the potential tying run.

Worrell, a day after once again being pronounced the official closer, blew his fourth consecutive save opportunity Wednesday night, surrendering a two-run, ninth-inning lead against the Florida Marlins and losing, 5-4.

The Marlins, who have delighted in the Dodger bullpen, drew two walks, had two hits and scored three runs off a combination of Astacio, Worrell and Al Osuna to take the series, 2-1, at Joe Robbie Stadium, sending the downcast Dodgers on to Chicago.

“I’m just sick,” Lasorda said.

Lasorda, trying to win with a bullpen that has blown 15 of 24 save opportunities, even had Tom Candiotti warming up during the game. But he got sicker when he learned that Worrell had ignored a message from the bench to hold the potential tying run on at first base because he wanted to concentrate on the hitter.

“He said what? “ Lasorda asked with incredulity.

With one out, Kurt Abbott on third base and Chuck Carr--who led the league with 58 stolen bases last season--on first, Lasorda sent out a message to Worrell to use the ‘slide step’ in his delivery, and hold Carr on. But Worrell had other plans.

“We were just going to concentrate on getting the hitter,” Worrell said. “When I try to hurry up and pitch, especially the way things are going right now, I don’t have as good stuff on my pitches. That’s why we didn’t make an effort on Carr. We decided to concentrate and get a good pitch on the hitter.”

With pinch-hitter Jesus Tavares--who is becoming the Marlins’ version of former Atlanta Brave Francisco Cabrera--at the plate, Carr stole second base easily. Actually, he could have walked to it. Mike Piazza didn’t even make a throw, and that’s good, because no one covered the bag. Only first baseman Eric Karros was trying to hold Carr on.

“Sure, it’s an important run, but you’re trying to ask (Worrell) to do something he’s not used to doing,” Piazza said. “It was pretty much a mutual decision. . . . I told Joey (third base coach Joe Amalfitano) that if we weren’t going to hold him on, I wasn’t going to throw and take the chance of the ball going into center field.”

Tavares hit a line drive to left field and Cory Snyder, trying to catch the ball on the fly to end the game, couldn’t get to it. The ball short-hopped him and he ran past it. By then, Abbott and Carr had scored to tie the game and Tavares was on second. Osuna came in, and pinch-hitter Mario Diaz hit a line drive to center. Brett Butler, who took the game off, had just replaced Raul Mondesi in center field. Butler fielded the ball on the hop but his throw to the plate was high. Diaz scored, and Lasorda went screaming into the clubhouse.

Lasorda, after hearing a reporter recount Worrell’s explanation for ignoring Carr, couldn’t believe it. “OK,” Lasorda said sarcastically, “that’s good to know. So the guy that got that base hit off Worrell hit his good stuff?”

Astacio said he understood why he was taken out in the ninth inning after walking leadoff batter Kurt Abbott. An early 4-1 Dodger lead helped Astacio pitch the best he has in three starts, but it would all be for naught when he turned the ball over to Worrell, who has struggled badly since returning from the disabled list two weeks ago.

“Just keep pitching, that’s about the only thing you can do to try and work out of it,” said Worrell, who has converted only two of seven save opportunities. “The answer isn’t to take time off.”

Worrell was patient with reporters after the game, but Lasorda is clearly running out of patience with him. When asked if Worrell would get the ball again in a closer situation, he said: “In the words of the great Winston Churchill, we will cross that bridge when we come to it.”