SATURDAY’S GAME : Gross Makes the Most of Rare Chance

Pitcher Kevin Gross doesn’t get to bat often, but it is feast or famine when he does.

Gross has struck out 10 times in 17 at-bats, including his first seven. But he also has six hits for a .353 average. He got his biggest hit Saturday night, a leadoff single that started a 10th-inning rally that gave the Dodgers an 8-7 victory over the Houston Astros, ending a 4-hour 6-minute game.

Gross was scheduled to be the Dodgers’ seventh pitcher of the night and batted because Manager Tom Lasorda, who used 21 players, had run out of reserves. Gross singled up the middle, took second base when Darryl Strawberry walked and scored on Eddie Murray’s check-swing single past third base. It was Murray’s fourth hit and fourth run batted in of the game.

“That’s the fourth time (in his career) I’ve pinch-hit and my first hit,” Gross said.

“It was fun and it was exciting. I saw (Murray’s hit) and I kept on going.”

In winning consecutive extra-inning games, the Dodgers used 12 pitchers. The relievers gave up only two runs while pitching 18 innings in those two games.

Strong relief pitching by Tim Crews, Jim Gott and Roger McDowell allowed the Dodgers to get back into the game Saturday night after the Astros took a 5-3 lead against starter Bob Ojeda. Strawberry’s two-run home run in the fifth inning, his second in two nights, tied the score.

It appeared that John Candelaria would be saddled with a loss when his nemesis, Houston’s Rafael Ramirez, got a pinch sacrifice fly against him to give the Astros a 7-6 lead in the ninth. Ramirez had two game-winning hits against Candelaria the last time the Dodgers played in Houston.

But Gary Carter took Candelaria off the hook, sending the game into extra innings with a homer in the bottom of the ninth.

Jay Howell (5-4) shut the Astros down in the 10th for the victory. The winning rally came against Dwayne Henry (3-1).

“Can you believe that game?” Lasorda said. “Since we haven’t been hitting real well, those one-run games become more important.”