Playground Ball Costs Dodgers; Mets Win, 3-2

NEW YORK —  It is one thing to be a proud World Series champion bravely losing a battle with slumps, injuries and inevitable mortality.

It is another thing to be unable to play catch.

The Dodgers’ problems, which grow more elementary by the day, fell somewhere between the eighth- and ninth-grade levels Friday when they botched a rundown play that led to a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets before a sellout Shea Stadium crowd of 46,143.

In the sixth inning, the Mets’ Kevin McReynolds singled and eventually scored the winning run without benefit of a hit.

“We work on rundown plays every other day in spring training,” Dodger infield coach Bill Russell said, shaking his head.

“They are fundamental plays. They must be made.”

“You in a rundown play,” shortstop Alfredo Griffin said angrily, “you out.”

Only sometimes, as the Dodgers proved Friday night. With one out and the score 2-2, McReynolds had reached first base on a grounder behind third base that shortstop Griffin could only knock down. McReynolds, who had stolen 33 straight bases dating to 1987 before being caught in Philadelphia earlier this year, then stole second.

So he’s quick. But he’s not quick enough to escape what happened next--a Dave Magadan grounder back to pitcher Orel Hershiser that caught McReynolds between second and third.

Hershiser spun and threw to Griffin on second base. Griffin waited for McReynolds to edge toward third, then threw to third baseman Jeff Hamilton.

But instead of running McReynolds back to second base, as written in Dodger manuals, Hamilton threw back to Griffin. And he threw it low. Griffin dropped the throw, McReynolds ran to third, and Griffin could only run back to second and tag an oncoming Magadan for the second out.

McReynolds didn’t stay on third base long. With the count 1 and 2 to Barry Lyons, Hershiser threw a curveball into the dirt. It bounced away from Mike Scioscia, and McReynolds scored.

“While that pitch will show up as a reason we lost the game,” Hershiser said later, “it is not the reason. There are others.”

The blown rundown was merely the most glaring. The Dodgers blew another chance in the top of the ninth. After Mike Sharperson reached third base with one out against reliever Randy Myers, the Dodgers’ leadoff and No. 2 hitters couldn’t bring him in: Griffin struck out and Willie Randolph lined a fastball to center fielder Juan Samuel.

Halfway down the first-base line, Randolph jumped, threw up his arms, and began the walk back to the dugout.

Moments before he crossed a line of ushers in front of the dugout, he spiked his helmet on the grass and left it there.

“I thought I had him,” Randolph said. “I got my pitch. I had a good swing. I thought this was it.”

“I lucked out,” Myers said.

That happens to good teams. Few are better these days than the Mets. They won for the ninth time in 11 games. They moved within 3 1/2 games of Chicago in the National League East.

It was Myers’ team-leading 20th save. Met starter David Cone, who hasn’t lost since June 5, gave up Eddie Murray’s two-run homer and six other hits in winning his eighth straight decision.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, spent late Friday night as they have spent many late nights this summer--rehashing a defeat.

“You’ve got to be aggressive on rundowns, and Hamilton was not aggressive,” Russell said.

“You are taught to run the guy back to the base he came from. If Hamilton had done that, we’d have gotten a double play.”

“Griffin held out his glove,” Hamilton said, “and that’s a sign to throw it to him.”

Russell said: “Yes, that’s a signal, but the runner was not close enough (to Griffin) to throw it. That’s common sense.”

Griffin was not immune to Russell’s criticism, either.

“Alfredo tried to catch the ball too quick, tried to get cute with it, grab it and tag the guy at the same time,” he said.

Griffin said: “You can’t mess up rundowns. You can’t. The guy can’t outrun the ball. I hate messing up rundowns.”

And as much as Hershiser hates throwing wild pitches, he said he would throw that game-losing pitch again.

“In fact, I threw that same curve on the next pitch and it bounced, and Mike got it,” said Hershiser, who gave up three runs on six hits in his eighth complete game but fell to 14-9.

“I’m not going to look at it like a pitch I’ll never throw again.”

“I’ve got to block that ball,” Scioscia said. “It took a bad bounce and went farther than I thought. There wasn’t a heckuva lot I could do about it.

“When these things happen, you just have to keep your head in the game and go on with things.”

For the Dodgers, those two simple tasks are growing ever harder.

Dodger Notes

Franklin Stubbs, who left Thursday’s game in Philadelphia because of a twisted knee, has a sprained ligament in the knee and might be put on the disabled list today, after being examined by Dr. Frank Jobe, Dodger medical director. Stubbs probably would be replaced by Mickey Hatcher, who has nearly recovered from a strained left hamstring and is due off the disabled list next week. . . . Hatcher, a potential Dodger free agent this winter, said he is seriously considering playing in Japan next year if he can’t reach agreement with the Dodgers. “My wife would love to go to Japan, it would be a good learning experience for my children, it’s something we really will look at,” said Hatcher, who in Japan could earn substantially more than his current $450,000 salary. “I would love to stay with the Dodgers, but when it comes to money, I have to look out for my family.” Hatcher said his agent, Willie Sanchez, contacted several Japanese teams before Hatcher originally signed with the Dodgers in 1987. . . . Infielder Lenny Harris has been taking fly balls in the outfield, and could play there before the end of the season. Harris could even be a center-field candidate next spring.

The official figure for Mike Scioscia’s new three-year contract, according to league sources, is $5.55 million. Scioscia, who received an $800,000 signing bonus, will be paid $950,00 in 1990 and $1.9 million in both 1991 and 1992. . . . Dodger reliever Tim Crews met with National League President Bill White Friday to protest his $200 automatic fine levied for hitting Pittsburgh’s Gary Redus July 24. The protest was denied. “He was polite, but he told me that because I was given a warning after hitting him, the fine was mandatory,” Crews said. “But he also said he couldn’t change the fine because Gary (Redus) thought I hit him intentionally. Now that’s crazy.”

Outfielder Chris Gwynn, in triple-A Albuquerque to rehabilitate a broken right foot, suffered a sprained right knee in a home-plate collision Aug. 10. He will be out at least two weeks. . . . Pitcher John Tudor and outfielder Kal Daniels have rejoined the team after short absences. Tudor returned from a scheduled, and then postponed, shoulder examination in Boston by Red Sox physician Dr. Arthur Pappas. Pappas missed the exam because of illness and then a vacation. Jobe will examine Tudor in New York today. Daniels returned from Aug. 11 surgery on his right knee and hopes to be back in the lineup by the final weeks of the season.