Dodger Encore: 5-4 Loss

Dodger relievers lived dangerously Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals, overcoming many difficult situations.

Until the final one.

Their good fortune ended when Ray Lankford smashed a one-out, two-run, game-winning home run against closer Jeff Shaw in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 5-4 victory at Busch Stadium.

Lankford’s blast--his second homer of the game and fifth this season--to right-center on a 1-and-0 count triggered a celebration among a crowd of 46,097. The cleanup batter’s clutch hit, coming after Shaw walked Mark McGwire, gave the Cardinals their second come-from-behind victory in as many days.

The unsettled Dodger bullpen was putting together its best performance of late, in relief of starter Ismael Valdes, when Shaw (1-1) suffered his first blown save in nine opportunities. The Dodgers had nine hits, but failed to score after the second, against a converted reliever making his first start of the season and four other members of the Cardinals’ struggling bullpen.

After winning the opener of the three-game series, the Dodgers (20-17) squandered 4-1 leads in the final two games. They left St. Louis wondering about what could have been, adding to Manager Davey Johnson’s frustration.

As if the guy doesn’t have enough problems.

“It was a rough day for me, and it didn’t get any easier in the ninth,” said Johnson, who appeared drained afterward. “The bullpen did a great job, they held it together until the ninth, and I thought he [Shaw] handled McGwire well. He made some pretty good pitches, but the guy [Lankford] behind him is swinging the bat real well.”

He did against the Dodgers.

Lankford hit his first homer against Valdes in the sixth, cutting the Dodgers’ lead to 4-3. His final blast provided the knockout punch, marking the 10th multihomer game of his nine-year career by sending a cut-fastball from Shaw into the seats.

“It wasn’t in enough,” said Shaw, who had converted 18 consecutive save opportunities over the last two seasons. “I didn’t think it was gone, I thought it was going to hit off the wall, but he got enough of it.

“My game plan is to go after them. I’m either going to beat them or they’re going to beat me.”

Shaw came in to pitch the ninth after Antonio Osuna, Alan Mills and Pedro Borbon combined to work 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Osuna relieved Valdes with one out and two on in the sixth. He created a bases-loaded jam by hitting Joe McEwing with a pitch with two out, getting out of it when pinch hitter Willie McGee grounded out.

Mills, the setup man, walked the bases loaded in the seventh. But he also escaped, getting Eric Davis to fly out for the last out.

Mills was replaced by left-handed specialist Borbon with two out and a runner on second in the eighth. Borbon did his job too, getting left-handed batter Darren Bragg to fly out.

“There was a lot of effort [to protect the one-run lead],” Shaw said. “The guys pitched around some walks and did a good job to get us there.”

Then it was Shaw’s turn.

Edgar Renteria, who also homered against Valdes, opened the ninth by grounding out with McGwire on deck. Not surprisingly, Shaw worked cautiously against McGwire.

Shaw threw three balls in a row before going to a 3-and-1 count. On the fifth pitch, McGwire walked with Lankford coming to the plate.

“Once you fall behind him, he’s not the guy who you want to let beat you,” said Shaw, who has walked only four in 18 1/3 innings. “Once I did fall behind him, I wasn’t going to give in.”

Shaw and the Dodgers were done two pitches later. Lankford was mobbed at the plate by his teammates as fireworks exploded.

“You’re going to have some good days and you’re going to have some bad days,” Shaw said. “You just hope you have more good than bad.”