Dodgers Put Braves Into Record Book With a 7-4 Victory

Connoisseurs of fine baseball would have haughtily passed on this one, simply because the born-to-lose Atlanta Braves were in town. But even less discriminating fans probably wondered how long the Dodgers and Braves would stumble over each other on a gloomy Saturday before settling the question of whether the Braves would be a record-setting loser.

It didn’t take more than a few innings before the Dodgers’ offense overcame the club’s occasional defensive pratfalls and recorded a 7-4 win over the beleaguered Braves before 27,114 fans at Dodger Stadium. The loss, Atlanta’s 10th straight to open the season, set a National League record.

The Braves erased four other teams from the record books--including the woeful 1962 Mets--which had been tied for the worst start.

The Dodgers improved their record to 8-3, due to a productive attack that included seven doubles and a three-hit, four-RBI day for Pedro Guerrero.

Rookie pitcher Tim Belcher, surviving three Dodger errors that accounted for two unearned runs, earned his first win in his first start. Even Belcher contributed to the best-defense-is-an-offense theme, slashing a double and later scoring a run in the second inning.

“It wasn’t pretty today,” Belcher said. “It wasn’t pretty for me and it wasn’t pretty for the defense. But if we can’t outpitch you, we’ll out-hit you. If we can’t out-defense you, we’ll out-hit you. It’s nice to have an offense like that.”

Aside from Guerrero’s offensive domination--a two-run single in the first inning and a two-run double in the second--Dodger contributors were plentiful Saturday against Brave starter Rick Mahler, the loser, and reliever Paul Assenmacher.

Mike Marshall had a double and a single, Alfredo Griffin a double and a run-scoring ground ball and Mike Davis a run-scoring double. And Steve Sax broke an 0-for-23 slump with a single to left field in the fifth that scored John Shelby, who had a leadoff double. Pinch-hitter Mickey Hatcher also had a double, in the eighth inning, when the Dodgers didn’t need any more runs.

“I know that there are very few days when we won’t score five or six runs for the pitcher,” Belcher said. “So, I knew that if I could just stay around after those first couple of innings, giving up those three runs, that they’d get the runs back.”

Belcher’s mood wasn’t quite as relaxed and confident after the first inning, when he walked off the mound and shook his head in dismay.

It clearly was not an auspicious first inning for the hard-throwing right-hander, who began the season in the bullpen.

Albert Hall led off with a single that bounced under Sax’s glove at second base. Then, Belcher hesitated on a ground ball back to him by Damaso Garcia and could not force Hall at second, although Griffin was able to throw out Garcia. After a walk to Dion James and a pop-up by Dale Murphy, Belcher gave up run-scoring singles to Gerald Perry and Andres Thomas for a 2-0 Brave lead.

“There was a lot of disgust after that first inning,” said Belcher, who allowed 9 hits in 7 innings. “Here I am, making my first start, and I want to get off to a fast start, and that happens. A 20-minute first inning and I’m down by two runs. But I wanted to keep it in perspective, just try to hold them close.”

The Dodgers immediately responded with two runs in the bottom of the first, highlighted by Griffin’s double and Guerrero’s two-run single.

Belcher’s faith in his teammates was put to the test again in the second inning. Marshall dropped a throw from Griffin on a routine ground ball with two outs, allowing Hall to score from second for a 3-2 Brave lead. Guerrero then commited his second error of the season by booting James’ grounder. But Belcher worked out of the jam when Murphy flied to center.

Again, in the bottom of the second, the Dodger offense came to the defense of the defense. Griffin’s ground ball scored Belcher with the tying run, and Guerrero’s two-out double to right-center scored Sax and Kirk Gibson (on base with an infield single) for a 5-3 Dodger advantage.

Given that reprieve, Belcher then retired eight straight hitters before Murphy’s fifth-inning single. Atlanta really did not threaten again until the seventh, and it again was because of the Dodger defense. Hall sliced a bloop single just beyond Griffin’s reach in shallow left field. Gibson retrieved the ball and threw it over Sax’s head into shallow right field, enabling Hall to advance to third. Hall scored on Garcia’s groundout.

But Belcher worked his way out of the inning, and Alejandro Pena earned his first save with two scoreless innings of relief.

“Nobody wants to make an error,” Gibson said. “Especially the one I made. But you learn from it, and maybe next time you won’t do it. We used our mistakes to our advantage.”

Perhaps more accurately, the Dodgers didn’t let the mistakes become too much of a disadvantage. That is permissible against the Braves, since the Dodgers have come from behind in four of their six wins over Atlanta this season.

“This is what we have to do, take advantage of them while they’re down,” Davis said. “We hope we can push them down that much more tomorrow because we don’t want to be the first team that they break through against.”

Dodger Notes

The Dodgers did not come out of Saturday’s win unscathed. Pedro Guerrero, who had three hits and four RBIs, “felt some discomfort in his right knee,” trainers said, after jamming it against second base after his second-inning double. Guerrero also fouled a ball off his left ankle in the sixth inning. Afterward, Guerrero had ice bags covering both knees, his right shoulder and his left hip. “I feel great,” Guerrero said, smiling. Seriously, Guerrero said he does not believe his jammed right knee is serious. “I played, didn’t I?” . . . Kirk Gibson strained his left hamstring running the bases, but he, too, said it is nothing serious. . . . Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda defended his defense, which made three errors Saturday, by pointing out one of its better-executed plays. Before Mike Marshall’s run-scoring error in the second, he began a double play that inning by cleanly fielding a bunt and making a good throw to Alfredo Griffin at second. The Dodgers added a second double play in the sixth inning. “That great play by Marshall evens out the error,” Lasorda reasoned. “And Marshall usually makes that play (which accounted for the error).”. . . . Al Campanis, former Dodger vice president, married Georgeanne Benson Thursday in a civil ceremony in Santa Ana. . . . Pitcher Ken Howell, on the disabled list after off-season shoulder surgery, will wait before being given a rehabilitation assignment in Bakersfield. Howell said he still feels stiffness in his right shoulder. . . . Minor league update: Albuquerque, the Dodgers’ triple-A team, defeated Tacoma, 5-1, Friday night. Starter William Brennan allowed 1 run in 7 innings to earn the win, and shortstop Mariano Duncan went 3 for 4 and scored two runs. Duncan had a fielding error in the second game of the doubleheader, a 14-5 Tacoma win. . . . Curtis Scott, the Dodgers’ head groundskeeper who had been in the organization for 30 years, died Saturday morning from complications from a heart attack and stroke. . . . Assistant trainer Charlie Strasser said that the strain pitcher Orel Hershiser felt in his right elbow on Friday night is “nothing we are concerned about. We’ll deal with it as it comes along.”