Hershiser Gets Help, for a Change : Dodger Offense Provides Seven Runs as He Blanks Pirates

After struggling offensively, the Dodgers provided 12 hits in support of Orel Hershiser in their 7-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday night.

Nothing unusual about a Hershiser shutout, of course, but the seven runs matched the total the Dodgers had scored in their last five games.

And tonight they plan to stage an equally unusual event, honoring former Dodger Pedro Guerrero despite his spring criticism of Manager Tom Lasorda and Executive Vice President Fred Claire.

The ceremony that precedes the first of two games with the St. Louis Cardinals was planned in late March, after Guerrero had questioned Claire’s baseball knowledge and said Lasorda did not have the respect of his players.

“What Pedro said didn’t change my assessment,” Claire said Tuesday night, alluding to the appropriateness of the ceremony.

“When you look at Pete’s career here, his accomplishments with the Dodgers, the fact that he was on two world championship teams, I think he fits well with the type of player we’ve honored before--Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Davey Lopes, Dusty Baker, Don Sutton.

“Much of Pete’s reaction, I believe, has been out of emotion. I really think he understands the opportunity Tommy and the organization gave him.

“As for what he said about me, I regard it as one man’s opinion. I fully understood when I took this job that I’d be judged by a variety of people.

“I can appreciate that Pete was hurt by the trade. That part of it isn’t a surprise. On the other hand, I don’t regret the trade. We acquired a pitcher (John Tudor) we needed very much.”

Claire said he would participate in the ceremony, making a presentation on behalf of the organization.

Lasorda said he wasn’t sure whether he would participate.

“Everyone knows I treated Pete like one of my own sons,” Lasorda said. “I didn’t deserve the things he said. He really hurt me.”

The Dodger victory before 29,310 at Dodger Stadium eased some of Lasorda’s most recent discomfort and brought the club back to the .500 mark at 13-13.

Hershiser allowed only six hits, walked none and struck out six in pitching his 20th career shutout and first of this season in which he is 4-2 with a 1.58 earned-run average.

A 1-0 loser to the Chicago Cubs’ Greg Maddux in his last start, Hershiser has allowed only that one run in his last 20 1/3 innings, helping lower the team ERA to 2.34, best in the National League.

Lasorda said Hershiser was like a surgeon, disputing the opinion of Pittsburgh Manager Jim Leyland that Hershiser lacked his best stuff and simply “took advantage of some not-so-smart hitting” by his injury decimated team.

“We gave in to him,” Leyland said. “We gave away a lot of at-bats. When you give up that many at-bats, everybody looks like Cy Young.

“I don’t want to take anything away from him, but he wasn’t unhittable.”

Hershiser agreed to an extent, saying he lacked his best stuff early but found a groove after the third inning, allowing only two hits over the final six.

And the offense helped make it easy for a change, raising the team’s league-low batting average from .225 to .230 in the process.

--Catcher Rick Dempsey broke open a 1-0 game with a three-run homer in the fifth.

--Mike Marshall, with four hits in his last 30 at-bats coming in, doubled in the Dodgers’ first run in the third and doubled again in the seventh, eventually scoring the sixth run.

--Mariano Duncan, a late lineup addition at shortstop, drove in two runs with a double and single.

--Chris Gwynn, who had been hitless in five at-bats since his recall but could have easily been five for five, had three singles as he drove in one run, scored another and prompted Lasorda, alluding to Tony Gwynn, to say that Chris “hits like his brother.”

--And Eddie Murray extended a hitting streak to 11 games with a single and double. He is 20 for 39 in the streak and has lifted his batting average to .306.

Eight of the Dodgers’ dozen hits came at the expense of starter Neal Heaton, who went 5 2/3 innings and emerged with his third defeat of a winless season.

Said Marshall of the Dodger attack: “Hitting is contagious. Hopefully this will get us started.”

Dempsey hopes his homer has another effect. He hopes it keeps him in the lineup. He is batting .208 for the season, but has driven in 36 runs in 191 at-bats in his two seasons with the club.

“I’d definitely like to play more,” he said. “Tommy knows that. Everyone knows that.

“But I understand the situation and know it’s something I have to accept. All I can do is try to impress Tommy every chance I get, but I don’t get down on him when I don’t play.

“It’s not like I’m a young guy whose career is passing quickly. I’m an older guy trying to hold on. I used to fight it, but I understand it now, and I think that’s made me a better player.”

A valuable player, certainly. Said Lasorda, of the contributions made by Dempsey, Duncan and Gwynn: “That’s what has made this club so good the last two years. The talent coming off the bench makes that one of our strongest departments now.”

Dodger Notes

Mariano Duncan started at shortstop, replacing Dave Anderson, who had been scheduled to replace Alfredo Griffin. . . . Griffin sprained his right thumb when he slipped and fell leaving the batter’s box during Monday night’s game. X-rays taken Tuesday were negative. The thumb was wrapped, but Griffin was able to take batting and fielding practice. He is on a day-to-day basis, Manager Tom Lasorda said. . . . Anderson was a late lineup scratch because of shoulder discomfort, a Dodger spokesman said. . . . Ramon Martinez continues to roll at Albuquerque. He is 5-0 with a 1.48 earned-run average.