Candiotti’s Knucklers Get Rapped

Dodger pitcher Tom Candiotti may have nightmares about Friday night’s 11-3 loss to the Houston Astros before 33,273 at Dodger Stadium.

Candiotti (5-6), who had won his last two starts with a 1.32 earned-run average, had his worst outing of the season, giving up six runs on seven singles and two doubles in 2 1/3 innings.

Candiotti was booed after giving up four runs on four hits, a wild pitch, a passed ball and three stolen bases in the first inning. The Astros sent nine men to the plate and Candiotti went to a full count on pitcher Doug Drabek before striking him out to end the inning.

Candiotti was replaced by Joey Eischen with one out in the third inning after giving up two runs on three singles and a double, and Eischen went the rest of the way.

“With the knuckleball, when you have a bad game it really looks bad,” Candiotti said. “When you have a good game it looks like the easiest thing in the world. Tonight was one of those games where I never really got the feel of it and they made me pay.

“Balls that were hit good were hits and balls that were hit bad were hits. I couldn’t get myself out of it. It was just a bad night.”

Manager Tom Lasorda agreed.

“He just had a bad, bad, bad, bad day,” Lasorda said. “It was the first time I can remember where we went into the seventh inning a lot of runs behind. It was a rare type of game for us. It was a game where nothing went right.”

Derek Bell, who drove in two runs, said the Astros’ approach to Candiotti was to be patient.

“His ball was moving real well,” Bell said. “We just came in waiting and made him get it up in our zone and got him to start throwing. Some of us just went to a two-strike stance and it seemed to work.”

Eischen gave up five runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings as the Dodgers rested their overworked bullpen in the rout.

Although the Dodgers gave up 14 hits and tied a season high for most runs surrendered in a game, they remained a game ahead of the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants, who also lost, and the San Diego Padres, who gained a game in the National League West standings.

The Astros, who lead the league with 82 stolen bases, stole five Friday night.

Every Astro starter except Drabek had at least one hit and scored at least one run, and right fielder Sean Berry had two singles and a double.

The Dodgers got bad news before the game even began.

Right fielder Raul Mondesi, the only Dodger who had started every game this season, sat this one out because of bruised heel suffered in Thursday’s game.

Roger Cedeno, who has started 32 games in center field and six games in left, started his first game of the season in right and had two hits.

Cedeno’s arm was tested in the first inning when Bell singled in two runs with one out. The Astros might have held Jeff Bagwell at third if Mondesi was playing, but Bagwell didn’t hesitate and Eric Karros cut off the throw.

“It’s different than playing center or left,” Cedeno said before the game. “I’ll concentrate and try to do everything I can.”

Cedeno made a nice throw on Orlando Miller’s run-scoring single in the third inning to nail catcher Rick Wilkins, who had rounded second.

Drabek (3-5), who was coming off his shortest outing of the season, limited the Dodgers to nine hits in eight innings with six strikeouts to register his first victory since May 25.

Drabek changed his pitching mechanics to end his slump.

“I wouldn’t call it dominating,” Drabek said. “I was losing some arm strength in my past starts. I needed something to help my curveball, so I went with a four-seamer more often tonight. Things were working well. I felt good. I can finally contribute to the team.”