Shelby’s 3-Run Homer Snaps Tie, Breaks Astros

The National League’s Western Division race worked it way back to Dodger Stadium Wednesday night with the type game that was to be anticipated considering two of the league’s most dominant pitchers were facing two of the most inconsistent offenses.

Mike Scott and Tim Leary were tied, 1-1, with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning and no end in sight when John Shelby hammered a three-run homer that lifted the Dodgers to a 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros before a crowd of 35,874.

Shelby’s homer, his seventh of the season and first since Aug. 17, gave the Dodgers a 6-game lead over the Astros and 7 1/2 over the Cincinnati Reds, who lost in San Diego, 1-0.

Scott, now 13-6, had allowed only 3 hits when Steve Sax opened the eighth with a single to center. A sacrifice by Alfredo Griffin, an intentional walk to Kirk Gibson and a strike out of Mickey Hatcher set the stage for the game-winning blast by Shelby, who had also driven in the first Dodger run with a sacrifice fly.

In improving his record to 16-9, the tenacious Leary allowed only a solo run in the third inning, struck out eight and scattered four hits, the last a single by Buddy Bell opening the ninth.

Jay Howell was then summoned and eventually struck out the side, nailing Gerald Young with the bases loaded for the final out of his 18th save, a bitter blow for the visitors.

The Astros went into the first of the two games here thinking they had to win it, that a split only bought time for the Dodgers.

“You can probably say this game is more important than any we’ve had in some time,” Houston Manager Hal Lanier said. “We’d like to get the first one under our belt and make them (the Dodgers) feel us a little bit, though I’m sure they know we’re there.

“I still feel the division is up for grabs and I’m still confident we can win it, though it won’t be easy for anyone because so many clubs in the division are playing well right now and it’s difficult to see the Dodgers losing three or four in a row the way their pitching has been. They’re obviously the team to beat.

“We have to focus on one game at a time. I feel we have the right man on the mound tonight, but the big thing we have to do is score more runs than we have been.”

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda presented a similar lament.

His team had averaged 3.1 runs in the 19 games since Pedro Guerrero was traded, 2.4 in the seven Mike Marshall had missed with a pulled leg muscle and had lost 4 of their last 5, scoring a total of 8 runs.

The Dodgers entered the opener of an eight-game homestand with Gibson having 5 hits in his last 30 at bats, Sax 1 in his last 23 and Mike Scioscia 7 in his last 35. In addition, Marshall remained sidelined, prompting Lasorda to say:

“When we had Guerrero with Marshall and Gibson, you could afford to have one of them out of the lineup. Now that we have just two of them, you really feel the effect. Plus, Saxy isn’t getting on base, and he’s the catalyst.”

Both teams search for a catalyst continued in this one. The Astros, in fact, needed an assist from the Dodgers in taking a 1-0 lead in the third, and the Dodgers got an assist from the Astros in tying it in the fourth.

Leary, who had weathered a one out double by Bill Doran in the first and then retired seven straight batters, walked Young with two out in the third, a lapse that begged trouble.

The speed burning Young promptly stole second and continued to third on a throwing error by catcher Scioscia. Doran also walked, and Kevin Bass then grounded a single through the right side of the infield to score Young and move Doran to third.

Leary responded by getting Glenn Davis to ground into a force play, then allowed only one other hit through the sixth.

The Dodgers, restricted to a leadoff single by Jeff Hamilton in the third, capitalized on Alfredo Griffin’s leadoff double and a mental error by shortstop Rafael Ramirez to tie it in the fourth.

Griffin was on second with out one when Mickey Hatcher grounded to Ramirez, who was surprised to find Griffin attempting to take third. Ramirez took a step toward Griffin, who froze. But instead of initiating a rundown, Ramirez held the ball and his position, permitting Griffin to inch toward the advance base and ultimately beat his lob to third baseman Buddy Bell.

Shelby’s ensuing fly to center, which should have been the third out, allowed Griffin to score the tying run.

Some additional generosity allowed the Dodgers to mount another threat in the sixth, but it was wasted. Griffin drew a leadoff walk, and Hatcher reached first when Bell booted his one out grounder. Scott then struck out Shelby and got Mike Davis on a grounder to second.

Leary returned to the mound and retired the Astros in order in the seventh before working out of a jam of his own making in the eighth, when he issued a pair of two out walks to Doran and Bass.

Pitching coach Ron Perranoski went to the mound, but Leary was allowed to stay, and he responded by getting Davis on an infield pop up to end the threat and keep the game tied, 1-1.

Dodger Notes

Mike Marshall, after aggravating the pulled muscle in his right leg as a pinch hitter in Atlanta Tuesday night, received two injections from Dr. Frank Jobe Wednesday and sensed improvement.