Extra, Extra--Giants Beat Dodgers Again, This Time in 11th, 7-6

The Dodgers learned as far back as the 1981 World Series that when in doubt, leave Fernando Valenzuela in to finish the job.

This plan worked to start a four-game Dodger sweep of the New York Yankees after they were down in the ’81 Series, two games to none, and it has since worked often.

However, Manager Tom Lasorda didn’t have any option Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. Valenzuela threw 143 pitches in eight innings, his shoulder stiffened and the bullpen couldn’t save a 5-3 lead.

The surprising San Francisco Giants, in the second straight four-hour game between the teams, pulled out a 7-6 victory when former Dodger Jeffrey (until this season known as Jeff) Leonard hit a home run off Dennis Powell to lead off the 11th inning. With two extra-inning wins in a row over the Dodgers, the Giants lead the West with a 4-1 record. The Dodgers are 2-4 and lead the league with 11 errors, including two in this game.

Despite control problems and an error by third baseman Dave Anderson that let in two unearned runs in the sixth, it appeared that a two-run home run by Franklin Stubbs in the bottom of the sixth would be enough for Valenzuela to win his second in a row.

But in the ninth, Ed Vande Berg, Tom Niedenfuer and Rick Honeycutt couldn’t hold the lead, and the Giants scored three times to take a 6-5 advantage. In the bottom of the ninth, Ken Landreaux hit a long fly to center with the bases loaded and none out to get the Dodgers even and send the game into extra innings.

In the 10th, Giant reliever Greg Minton choked off a rally, and the next inning he wound up the winner for new Manager Roger Craig’s team.

Valenzuela was effective, even playing a part in a Dodger rally in the third inning.

Giant starter Mike Krukow retired the first six batters, three of them--Franklin Stubbs, Mike Marshall and Mike Scioscia--on strikes. But he walked Steve Sax to open the third, and Anderson sent Sax to third with a hit-and-run single.

With the infield drawn in, Valenzuela, after fouling off a squeeze bunt, lined a single to right-center. Valenzuela, also an alert base-runner, easily made it to second on a Mariano Duncan bunt, and the Giants wound up with no play. Valenzuela moved to third on a force-out at second and scored the final run of the inning after Stubbs flied to medium right-center.

On the mound, Valenzuela had nothing but trouble with Will Clark, the Giants’ highly touted rookie. Clark hit the ball hard and safely the first three times he faced the Dodger pitcher.

Clark led off the fourth with a double and eventually scored on Bob Brenly’s single.

Clark didn’t get a chance to hurt Valenzuela in the sixth after Anderson fumbled a Dan Gladden ground ball with two out and the bases loaded, enabling the Giants to tie the score. With runners on first and third, the Giants sent Gladden to second. If it was supposed to be a double steal, someone forgot to tell Joel Youngblood, the runner on third. He stayed on third, Gladden was out stealing and the Dodgers were out of the inning.

Dodger Notes

Everyone was still talking about Friday night’s 4-hour 18-minute marathon that the Giants won on Brad Gulden’s run-scoring single in the 12th. Had it gone another inning, Manager Tommy Lasorda would have used Orel Hershiser, who will be the starter in the series finale this afternoon. “A few years ago, I used every player I had, even my starting pitchers,” Lasorda said. “That set a record.” . . . Although it wasn’t stated specifically that Jerry Reuss would remain in the starting rotation, both Lasorda and pitching coach Ron Perranoski thought Reuss pitched better than his results indicated. He should have been out of the third inning Friday night, but Ken Landreaux dropped Bob Melvin’s fly for a three-run error. Umpire Doug Harvey first gave the out sign, but when Lasorda went out, Harvey told the manager that Landreaux dropped the ball. Lasorda asked Landreaux if he’d dropped the ball, and the outfielder’s first answer was, “I don’t know.” He finally admitted he had. . . . The Dodgers are not happy with Landreaux’s start. He went into Saturday night’s game batting only .091. The heir apparent in center field, Jose Gonzalez, homered Friday night in Albuquerque’s opener . . . The Dodgers had a great chance to win Friday’s marathon battle in the 10th. With the bases loaded and one out, relief pitcher Jeff Robinson struck out Mike Marshall on three pitches and then fanned Franklin Stubbs on a 2-and-2 count with a curveball. Of the eight outs Robinson accounted for, six were on strikeouts. . . . Tom Niedenfuer, who lost the game in the 12th after pitching two scoreless innings, said: “It doesn’t take a genius to know I was tired, but all I need is another day of rest. That’s better than messing up the starting rotation.” . . . Bill Madlock has a sore left thigh and was not in the lineup Saturday night. . . . Dave Anderson was at third, and Stubbs batted third with Marshall in the cleanup spot. Scott Garrelts, who appeared in 74 games last season as a relief pitcher, will make his second start for the Giants today against Hershiser. Garrelts won his first start at Houston.