Marshall’s Home Run Lifts L.A.

CINCINNATI — Dodger spirits soared nearly as high as Mike Marshall’s grand slam here Monday night. The ball hit by Marshall eventually came down deep in the center-field seats, but it isn’t certain yet when the Dodgers will fall.

A few more games like their 7-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds before 27,224 fans at Riverfront Stadium and the Dodgers might be able to move up into higher atmosphere in the National League West race.

Monday night, the Dodgers used Marshall’s towering third-inning home run, eight innings of shutout pitching by Orel Hershiser and another balanced offensive output to show the first-place Reds that they might have more than just San Francisco and Houston to battle with in the final two months of the season.

You certainly can’t call the Dodgers (48-57) contenders just yet. They remain in fourth place in the West, 7 1/2 games behind the Reds.

For the Reds, this was just another game that showed why they have yet to pull away from the pack. Their shaky starting pitching failed, and their normally productive offense sputtered against Hershiser.

But for the Dodgers, who are facing a long final two months if they don’t hit a prolonged winning streak fast, it meant more. Manager Tom Lasorda called it a psychological lift, and most players considered it a sign that they are in the Reds’ class.

“I don’t think we sent any sign to the Reds,” Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia said. “But I think the Reds know we aren’t going to roll over and die.”

No, on this night, the Dodgers just rolled.

They knocked out former Dodger Ted Power, who had twice defeated them this season, after five innings. And Hershiser, who took over the National League earned-run average lead Monday at 2.41, shut down and shut out a powerful Red lineup before Bo Diaz knocked a two-run home run with two out in the ninth.

An indication of the Dodgers’ dominance Monday night was that the slow-footed Scioscia almost had an inside-the-park home run before he was lassoed by third-base coach Joe Amalfitano five feet down the line.

But the roundhouse blow that got the Dodgers sailing and the Reds reeling was delivered by Marshall in the third. He launched a Power fastball that easily cleared the 404-foot sign in center and landed at least 30 feet farther into the seats.

That gave the Dodgers, who scored a run in the first on Marshall’s RBI single, a 5-0 lead. Marshall’s fifth career grand slam tied him for first with Ron Cey on the Dodgers’ all-time list. The Dodgers added a run in the seventh and another in the eighth on John Shelby’s 13th home run of the season.

“I really don’t want to make a big deal over it,” Marshall said, “especially with guys like Pete (Guerrero), Eric Davis and Dave Parker out there. They hit it like that a lot.”

Perhaps hitting behind Guerrero has increased Marshall’s humility. Opponents regularly pitch around Guerrero to face Marshall. Many times, Marshall has produced. Many other times, he hasn’t.

“When you hit with Guerrero ahead of you, you get a lot of bases-loaded situations,” Marshall said. “I hate to put pressure on myself, but you’ve got to produce when you hit behind Pete.”

Marshall’s production was more than adequate Monday. He had 3 of the Dodgers’ 11 hits and 5 RBIs.

“That grand slam really sparked us,” Lasorda said. “You don’t see too many balls hit that far. If Marshall would have hit that ball in left field, he might have hit it over the roof.

“Bulldog (Hershiser) was great, and Moose (Marshall) was awesome. Against a club like this, you gotta score some runs early and get good pitching.”

A seven-run output was far more than Hershiser (12-9) needed on a night when he relied more on off-speed pitches than fastballs.

This game was a departure for Hershiser in several respects.

Because of the 95-degree heat and intense humidity, even for an evening game, Hershiser shedded his undershirt. (“First time in my career I’ve done that, even in Little League,” Hershiser said).

Partly because of the weather conditions, Hershiser also eschewed his best pitch--the fastball--in the early and middle innings simply because he was tired.

“I was dead after four innings,” Hershiser said. “In those innings, I threw maybe two fastballs. Then, in the fifth, I got used to the heat--if you can ever get used to it--and was throwing better.

“I was pretty proud of the way I pitched, because I didn’t have my good stuff for most of it. It’s pretty exciting to rely on your knowledge rather than your ability. When I have bad stuff and am tired and having to outthink the opponent, that’s rewarding.”

During the stretch when his fastball was missed in action, Hershiser changed speeds on his curveball and used a newly found changeup to baffle the Reds, who are second in the league in runs scored.

“This is the best I’ve seen him change speeds all year,” Scioscia said. “I think he’s learning to change speeds better. He pitched a great game. You’re talking about almost shutting out a great offensive team.”

Along with everything else Hershiser was thinking about on the mound, he admitted that the thought of a shutout crossed his mind. Had he completed the shutout, Hershiser’s ERA would have fallen to 2.39. Instead, it stands at 2.49, just ahead of Pittsburgh’s Rick Reuschel (2.50).

“I think I’ve just got to win more games and get these guys back in the race,” Hershiser said. “The ERA title is a long way off.”

Monday night may have been either the start of a Dodger surge or merely a lull in the Reds’ first-place reign.

“It was a big win, but it’s just one game,” Marshall said, haltingly. “You can’t put it all on tonight. If we go out and win the next two, then we’ve slipped back into it.”

Dodger Notes

Jeff Hamilton, called up from Albuquerque to replaced injured Franklin Stubbs, joined the team here Monday afternoon. And Mariano Duncan is on his way from Albuquerque to replace Brad Wellman, who has a laceration of his right eyeball. Wellman, who says he has 20/400 vision in his right eye, suffered the injury a few days ago when he was putting in a contact lens. Wellman said he is unable to wear glasses because of problems with depth perception, so the Dodgers have put him on the 15-day disabled list and recalled Duncan, who had been banished to Triple-A on July 26. Wellman, who had been hitting over. 300 in Albuquerque before being recalled, was upset at the timing of his unusual injury. “I can’t play without the contacts,” he said. “I’m almost legally blind. I can’t believe it happened now. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. But nobody said it was going to be easy.”

The Dodgers had hoped to keep Duncan in Triple-A longer so that he could work on his game, but he was the only infielder at Albuquerque who plays shortstop. Duncan was hitting .273 in six games at Albuquerque. . . . Hamilton arrived in Cincinnati three hours before game time and was upset because teammates at Albuquerque looted his locker once they knew he had been called up to replace Stubbs. “They stole all my batting gloves and a few of my bats,” Hamilton said. “I guess they figured I wasn’t coming back to clean out my stuff.” . . . Stubbs, put on the 21-day disabled list, returned to Los Angeles Monday morning and was examined by Dr. Frank Jobe, who surprisingly reported that Stubbs felt no pain during range of motion exercises. “(Jobe) was quite pleased because Stubbs was not sore on any range of motion,” trainer Bill Buhler said. “That’s a good sign that he won’t have to go in and perform any surgery to repair anything.” Buhler said Jobe will examine Stubbs again Thursday. . . . Relief pitcher Brad Havens (strained rib cage muscle) was examined Monday by Dr. Warren Harding and was put on medication. He will be examined again today and likely will test his side by throwing in the bullpen.