The Lead Stays the Same but Season Gets Shorter : Padres: Dodgers’ Ojeda goes a strong 7 1/3, McDowell provides relief and even plays left in 3-1 victory over Padres.

What began as a nice, old-fashioned championship race became something different Tuesday when the Dodgers and Atlanta Braves began hitting each other with their biggest and wildest swings.

It has become a long-distance street fight, a four-game bout where the loser may not be the one who plays worse, but tires first.

In the first inning against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, the Dodgers learned that Dave Justice’s ninth-inning home run had given the Atlanta Braves a 7-6 victory over the Cincinnati Reds after they had trailed, 6-0.

On the mound for the Padres was the Andy Benes, the major league’s hottest pitcher and a Dodger nemesis. On the bench was Kal Daniels, suffering from stomach flu.

But the Dodgers did not flinch, using home runs from Darryl Strawberry and Mike Scioscia and five-hit pitching from Bob Ojeda over 7 1/3 innings to earn a 3-1 victory before 42,827 at Dodger Stadium.

For the third consecutive day, the Dodgers have followed an Atlanta victory with a victory, enabling them to remain one game in first place with four games remaining.

Even though the division race will be decided this weekend in Candlestick Park and Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the most important games for both teams could be tonight.

The Dodgers desperately want to forge a two-game lead before the weekend, so they will need only one victory against the San Francisco Giants to clinch a tie. They will match Tim Belcher against the Padres’ Greg Harris.

The Braves feel if they can return to Atlanta trailing by just one game, they can win the division outright on Sunday because their final three games are against the last-place Houston Astros. They will match ace Tom Glavine against the Reds’ Scott Scudder.

If nothing else, the Dodgers at least have the nerve to go the distance. They showed this in the ninth inning Tuesday, when Roger McDowell recorded a save not just for pitching, but for playing left field.

McDowell relieved Ojeda in the eighth after Paul Faries and Jim Vatcher had reached base on a single and a walk. McDowell gave up a double to left-center by Darrin Jackson, ending the shutout.

But then he retired pinch-hitter Oscar Azocar on a fly ball to left field and Benito Santiago on a grounder to the mound, when McDowell for some reason threw home. Scioscia threw to first for the out, setting up the odd ninth inning.

With left-hander Fred McGriff due up first, left-hander John Candelaria was brought in to pitch, but Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda wanted McDowell to return to the game for the next two right-handed hitters.

So he kept him in the game, moving him to left field while Candelaria struck out McGriff on three pitches. Not that McGriff was frustrated against Candelaria, but on the second pitch the 31-homer hitter attempted to bunt.

Once McGriff was out, so was Candelaria, and McDowell trotted back in from left field. He was replaced by Javier, who was also not needed out there when Tim Teufel struck out and Jerald Clark grounded out to end the game, giving McDowell his 10th save.

Although the Dodgers cheered in their clubhouse when the Reds took a 6-0 lead in the first inning against the Braves Tuesday, it took them just three innings to get over their shock at the Braves’ stirring comeback.

In the third inning against Benes, who was trying to earn his 11th consecutive victory while owning a lifetime 1.66 earned-run average against the Dodgers, Brett Butler led off with a double into the right-center field gap.

Lenny Harris then lined a singled to right to score him, but was thrown out attempting to take second on the play.

Two pitches later Darryl Strawberry hit his 27th homer, and second in five at-bats after hitting just three in his previous 34 games.

Benes retired Eddie Murray and Chris Gwynn, Daniels’ replacement, on grounders to end the inning. But Scioscia started the fourth inning with his eighth homer, and second in five games.

Ojeda gave up one run and five hits, improving to 12-9 with a 26-13 career record in September and October.

In 11 starts since Aug. 7, he is 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA. But he still faces the prospect of missing his last start this weekend because Orel Hershiser has pitched so well, and he could move to the bullpen during the postseason because the Dodgers will need a left-hander there.

“I think I’m pitching as well now as in 1986, but I’m in a different situation here,� Ojeda said, referring to his 2-0 record with a 2.33 ERA in four postseason games with the New York Mets.

NL BATTING LEADERS

Name Team Avg. Tue. Hal Morris Reds .318 0-0 Terry Pendleton Braves .318 4-5 Tony Gwynn Padres .317 * Willie McGee Giants .311 1-4

* Did not play