Martinez Rocked in Rehab Start

Ramon Martinez thought they had been three great innings.

Funny, so did the San Diego Padres, who racked the injured Dodger pitcher for four runs Monday in the Hall of Fame exhibition game at Cooperstown, N.Y.

The endorsement of Martinez in his third rehabilitation start was in direct contrast to the results.

So on his road to recovery from a torn rotator cuff, call it a side step.

The Dodgers had hoped he would last close to six innings, so he would need only one more minor league start before returning to the rotation. He will probably need at least two more rehab starts.

He faced 14 batters and gave up two home runs and a single. Of his 43 pitches, nearly half, 20, were balls.

“I think it was a good step,” Martinez said. “I just wanted to get my arm in shape, that was it.”

Said Fred Claire, Dodger general manager who was sitting behind home plate: “His velocity was good. It looked like he was throwing easy. Those were the main things. That’s what we wanted to see.”

*

The Dodgers won the afternoon game, 16-8, and won some fans as well by signing autographs for the sellout crowd of 9,850.

But they used only one regular, Brett Butler, and he for only one at-bat.

The Padres used four starters, Rickey Henderson, Ken Caminiti, Greg Vaughn and Wally Joyner.

Eric Anthony’s three homers and six runs batted in for the Dodgers tied Hall of Fame game records, set by Bernie Allen, a New York Yankee infielder, in 1972.

*

A younger pitcher might have been crushed, but Todd Worrell is in his 12th season as a relief pitcher.

So minutes after throwing the pitch that the Chicago Cubs’ Sammy Sosa hit for a game-winning two-run homer in the 12th inning Sunday night at Wrigley Field, Worrell was able to see beyond it.

“When you live on the edge, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t,” he said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TODAY’S GAME

* Opponent--Montreal Expos, three games.

* Site--Olympic Stadium, Montreal.

* Tonight--4:30.

* Radio--KABC (790), KWKW (1330).

* Records--Dodgers 60-51, Expos 57-52.

* Record vs. Expos--3-3.

DODGERS’ PEDRO ASTACIO (7-7, 3.76 ERA) vs. EXPOS’ MIKE JOHNSON (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

* Update--These have been an unsettling few days for the Dodgers, the kind that can sap strength and confidence from the hottest of clubs. They won their first two games in Chicago to give them 21 victories in 28 games and a share of the NL West lead with the San Francisco Giants. But since then, they suffered consecutive losses to the Cubs, including Sunday’s 12-inning debacle; made a 12-hour detour to Cooperstown, N.Y., to play an exhibition game; and are faced with six more games on the road, where they are only 24-28. Until they beat the Expos five of six times in Montreal last season, the Dodgers hadn’t had a winning record in Olympic Stadium since 1989. They have lost two of three this season. Johnson, 21, is making his first start for the Expos after being acquired Thursday from the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be determined.

* Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.--Chan Ho Park (10-5, 2.69) vs. Dustin Hermanson (5-5, 4.01).

* Thursday, 4:30 p.m.--Hideo Nomo (10-8, 4.02) vs. Jim Bullinger (6-11, 5.89).