Road Movie Terminates for Dodgers : Baseball: They lose to Mets, 9-4, and finish trip with 2-9 record--their worst journey since 1983. Second-place Braves trail by only three games.

By BILL PLASCHKE

July 22, 1991 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

NEW YORK — The Dodgers’ 11-game trip reached its logical conclusion in the seventh inning of Sunday’s 9-4 loss to the New York Mets.

That’s when Brett Butler fell asleep in center field.

Butler, the team’s inspirational leader, nonchalantly picked up a blooper hit by Keith Miller and lobbed it in. By the time the ball reached the infield, Miller was on second base with a double.

The play meant nothing to the game, but said everything about the trip. The Dodgers won two of 11 games, giving them their most losses on a trip since 1983.

“I haven’t had a play like that in years,” Butler said. “It was like all of a sudden, I had a brain cramp.

“Man, I think we need to get out of here and go home.”

But when they arrive at Dodger Stadium Tuesday, things will be different from when they departed at the All-Star break as the team with the best record in baseball.

They are still in first place. But their five-game lead has been cut to three by the Atlanta Braves, who have gained 6 1/2 games in 11 days.

They still have one of baseball’s best pitching staffs. But Mike Morgan is fighting injuries, Orel Hershiser is fighting doubters and Bob Ojeda is fighting himself after Sunday’s loss made him 0-3 on the trip.

They still have one of baseball’s most powerful batting orders. But after scoring two runs or fewer in five of the 11 games, they no longer scare opponents.

In fact, nothing about the Dodgers scares people anymore.

“Other teams now see that we are capable of losing, and that is bad,” said Ojeda, who blew a 3-0 lead Sunday with his worst start of the season.

“Part of winning a division is the mental part. It is the intimidation part. I think that to win, you have to intimidate people.

“After what happened to us on this trip, we don’t intimidate anybody.”

Ojeda’s pitching haunted his teammates Sunday after his fly ball and singles by Lenny Harris and Brett Butler against Dwight Gooden gave them a lead in the top of the second inning.

With one out in the second, Ojeda began losing control. He walked Howard Johnson and Hubie Brooks, setting the stage for a harder grounder by Mark Carreon that bounced off Harris’ chest at third base for an error. A fly ball and Gooden’s single then produced two unearned runs.

With two out in the third, Ojeda began losing control again. He fell behind on five of the next six hitters, and it led to four doubles and a single around an intentional walk.

The big blows were struck by Carreon and Charlie O’Brien, each of whom had two-run doubles even though they previously had combined for 14 runs batted in.

By the time Ojeda walked off his former home field, the Dodgers trailed, 7-2, and did not threaten again. Three hours later, they could not pack their bags fast enough.

“I’m sick of this road trip,” said Darryl Strawberry, who had an infield single in his final regular-season game before his former fans.

“You have to realize one thing,” Manager Tom Lasorda said. “You remember the 1927 Yankees, voted the greatest team in history? Well, even they lost nine games in a row once!”

Someone asked if Lasorda was certain of that fact. He paused, then shrugged.

“How the heck am I supposed to know?” he said. “But I tell you what, it sounded good when I was giving that speech one year in Spokane.”

Nothing could put a shine on a trip that hinted at second-half trouble with the two most important parts of a winning team.

The starting pitchers, who earlier this year lasted at least six innings while giving up three runs or fewer in 26 consecutive starts, went six innings only four times in 11 games. The starters went 0-5 with a 6.16 earned-run average.

The defense committed 10 errors in 11 games, leading to seven unearned runs.

Other sidelights of the trip:

--Announcer Vin Scully was sent home because of a sore throat.

--Morgan was sent home because he was seeing two catcher’s mitts.

--Ojeda accused his former wife of possessing a voodoo doll.

--Lasorda accused the Philadelphia Phillie mascot of being an “idiot” after the green beast crushed Dodger helmets and walked on a Dodger uniform during a performance.

--The Dodgers blew a 6-1 lead in one game, and 3-0 leads in two others.

--Tim Crews blew three games by himself.

--Butler gave Strawberry a much-publicized pep talk in right field.

--A drunk fan gave Butler a pep talk in center field.

--Eddie Murray played third base.

--They were rained out in a stadium with a roof.

“It’s been a special trip, just lovely,” Ojeda said. “I’m glad I came.”