Dodgers Get No Relief in 5-4 Loss : Baseball: Gross leaves with 4-0 lead, but Gwynn’s three-run double caps five-run ninth for Padres. Strawberry says he might quit for the rest of the season.

There’s no doubt that Kevin Gross is a strong person. When he stood up in a meeting early in the season and challenged his teammates to attend a benefit luncheon, they all showed.

That rarely happens.

So when Gross told people over lunch Friday that he has been drilling the ball in batting practice and was going to hit a home run against the San Diego Padres, nobody doubted him.

And with a scoreless game Friday night, there was also no doubt that no matter how well Gross was pitching, it was a matter of time before he would be pulled for a pinch-hitter.

So with two out in the fifth inning and Jody Reed on first base after he singled, Gross sent Doug Brocail’s first pitch into the seats in left field at Jack Murphy Stadium, putting the Dodgers ahead 2-0, sending them on the way to a 4-0 lead.

But after Gross was relieved in the ninth for a pinch-hitter, it all fell apart, and the Padres came back to score five runs in the ninth to win, 5-4.

With Pedro Martinez on the mound in relief, Gary Sheffield led off the inning with a line drive that caromed off of Martinez’ leg for a single. Fred McGriff followed by hitting Martinez’ first pitch out of the park to cut the Padres deficit to 4-2. Martinez walked Derek Bell and gave up a single to center before being relieved by Jim Gott.

Ricky Gutierrez lined a drive to short right, but Cory Snyder got to it on one hop to keep the runners from scoring, but the bases were loaded for Tony Gwynn, who has a career .409 batting average against Gott.

With two outs, Omar Daal relieved Gott, and Gwynn hit a line drive in the gap between center and right field. It went by Snyder to Butler, who picked it up and relayed it to Jody Reed, but the throw to Mike Piazza was late and Gutierrez scored.

Gross’ home run seemed like light years away.

Gross’ pitching was as impressive as his fifth career home run. He struck out the first two batters, stranded Sheffield at third base and Fred McGriff at second when he got Phil Plantier to fly out. He went on to retire 21 of the next 24 batters, giving up three hits and striking out six.

Manager Tom Lasorda has been reluctant to change the lineup since his team has been in such on such a hot streak, but a change may come today. After Darryl Strawberry’s embarrassing day in left field Thursday, Lasorda started Eric Davis. But the platoon of Davis and Strawberry may be short lived and it might be the last game that Snyder, who is hitting .299 in his 33 starts, plays in right field for awhile.

Strawberry, who did not start Friday, said before the game that he did not like the way his comeback was going, and said he might consider sitting out the rest of the season.

“I’ve started to think about my options and if things don’t start working out then I may shut it down and take my time (rehabilitating his back) and call it a year,” Strawberry said. Strawberry, who returned to the lineup June 6 to find his job in right field taken by Snyder, has struggled at the plate, batting one for 14--a home run--since his return, in which the Dodgers record is 2-3.

But it’s Strawberry’s struggles in left field that came to a head after Thursday’s game, when he helped Tony Gwynn’s line drive over the fence and then followed by misplaying a line drive. For Strawberry, “things working out” means a return to right field.

Lasorda said one of his options is to flop Strawberry and Snyder. “If (Darryl) feels comfortable out there and Cory feels comfortable then its an option,” Lasorda said. “I want him to play where he feels right.