For Starters, Dodger Streak Collapses, 9-4 : Baseball: Hershiser fails in the fifth inning against Giants. L.A. pitchers had gone at least six innings in 22 consecutive games.

After spending much of the last month happily experiencing such things as victories and consecutive shutout innings, Orel Hershiser became reacquainted with another aspect of pitching Tuesday.

He remembered what it was like to get hammered.

In his worst performance since returning from a 13-month layoff after shoulder surgery, Hershiser gave up four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings as the Dodgers lost to the San Francisco Giants, 9-4, before 44,920 at Dodger Stadium.

After shutting out the Giants on two hits in the first four innings despite three walks, Hershiser turned a 1-0 lead into a 4-1 deficit by giving up all four runs in the fifth inning, on four hits and a walk. The Giants later added five runs and 10 hits against relief pitchers Kevin Gross and Mike Hartley to win a season-high fifth consecutive game.

“Outside of the first inning of my first start, these are the worst results I’ve gotten,” Hershiser said. “I thought I was going to get out of that fifth inning, but then I kind of . . . I don’t know, I kind of fell apart.

“My shoulder felt as good as it has felt, but I’m not about to sit here and say, ‘Well, we lost, but it’s OK because my shoulder feels great.’ That would be ludicrous. Just say it was not a very good day.”

Hershiser threw 91 pitches, the second most in his six starts. But nearly half of those, 42, were balls. And not counting the six pitches that became base hits, Hershiser threw only one more strike than he did balls.

His five walks equaled a season high for Dodger starters, although his final walk was intentional. He fell to 1-2 while his earned-run average rose to 3.18

“It was a combination of terrible location on my part and their good fortune in hitting the ball to the right place,” Hershiser said.

Losing for the second time in nine games, the first-place Dodgers also lost a game in the standings to the Cincinnati Reds, who trail by five.

The loss ended a streak during which Dodger starters worked at least six innings in 22 consecutive games.

The Giants took the field with the second-worst record in the National League, 14 games out of first place, and were without starters Kevin Mitchell and Robby Thompson.

And Hershiser was opposed by rookie Mike Remlinger, making only his third major league start. But today, Remlinger is 2-0 even though he gave up three runs in five innings. And plenty of other Giants had fun:

--Greg Litton, whose two-run double was the final blow against Hershiser, had two hits. And he was only in the game because of Thompson’s sore neck.

--Mike Kingery, who joined the lineup when Mitchell came down with stomach problems, had two hits and scored two runs.

--Mike Felder had five hits, tying his career high.

--Don Robinson pinch-hit in the top of the ninth inning, then pitched in the bottom half.

“I’d like to see his warm-up time,” Hershiser said with a smile.

Hershiser, looking for his first victory at Dodger Stadium in 426 days, will have to wait for at least 10 more days. He knew he was in trouble in the fifth inning when, with one out, he walked rookie pitcher Remlinger. It was the first time Remlinger had reached base in his major league career. It was worse because, after getting ahead of him 0-and-2, Hershiser walked him on four consecutive pitches.

Felder then bounced a grounder between first and second. Eddie Murray was able to glove it, but that was all, and runners were on first and second after the single.

Kingery then lined a single to left field to load the bases, bringing up Will Clark. Hershiser fell behind Clark 1-and-0, then Clark picked off a pitch and lined it past the glove of diving third baseman Lenny Harris to score two runs and give the Giants the lead.

Hershiser settled down to strike out Matt Williams, but it took him seven pitches to do it. And on the final swing, Kingery stole third and Clark stole second.

Hershiser then issued his final walk of the night, intentionally to Willie McGee. This brought up Litton, who was hitting .176 before Tuesday. He worked the count to 2 and 1, then drove the ball into the right-center-field gap. It bounced once, went into the seats, and the Giants scored two runs to lead, 4-1.

Trailing, 4-1, the Dodgers scored two more runs in the fifth after Jose Gonzalez drew a one-out walk, reaching base for the first time this season. Brett Butler singled to left, then Juan Samuel singled up the middle to score a run.

Stan Javier hit a fly ball to right to score another run, but Murray’s strikeout ended the inning with the Dodgers still trailing.

NOT STARRY EYED: Injured Darryl Strawberry says he won’t play in All-Star game even if he is able to. C4.