Valenzuela-Lanier Tiff Sets Up Dodgers’ 6-5 Loss to the Astros

HOUSTON —  In less than two innings here Tuesday night, what appeared to be another routine Fernando Valenzuela outing was suddenly and shockingly transformed into a controversial, and in some respects typical, 6-5 Dodger loss to the Houston Astros.

Valenzuela, overcoming early problems, was holding a 4-2 lead over the Astros in an uneventful seventh inning when Hal Lanier, the Astros’ manager, walked across home plate to check on Alan Ashby, who had fouled a ball off his leg. Valenzuela continued his warmup tosses and almost hit Lanier with one.

That resulted in an exchange of words and one noticeable obscene gesture from the Dodger pitcher toward the Astro manager. At the end of the inning, the benches emptied and Lanier exchanged angry more words with Valenzuela and Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda.

The controversy would not reach its full fervor until later, when Lanier challenged Lasorda to a fight, and Lasorda, in turn, said that Lanier should fight Mark Cresse, the Dodgers’ younger and stronger bullpen coach.

There was no fight in the Dodger bullpen in a horrendous eighth inning when the 4-2 lead Valenzuela left behind was quickly erased.

Reliever Ken Howell took over for a tired Valenzuela in the top of the eighth inning and gave up consecutive singles to pinch-hitters Craig Reynolds and Terry Puhl. Lasorda then yanked Howell in favor of newly acquired left-handed reliever Matt Young, whose Dodger debut was a disaster. Young started by walking Bill Doran to load the bases. He then threw two wild pitches, with Billy Hatcher at the plate, enabling the Astros to tie it, 4-4. Young then walked Hatcher, and one batter later Kevin Bass slapped a single to center, scoring both runners and giving the Astros a 6-4 lead.

The Dodgers threatened in the ninth. Franklin Stubbs opened the inning with a home run off Charlie Kerfeld, making it 6-5. One out later, Mike Scioscia kept the rally alive with a double. Lasorda then sent up Pedro Guerrero, who did not start again because of tendinitis in his right knee, to pinch-hit. Guerrero flied to right field and then pinch-hitter Alex Trevino struck out against new reliever Dave Smith to end the game.

With the game over, it was time for the verbal games to begin.

Lanier said Valenzuela purposely tried to hit him with the warmup pitch in the seventh. Lanier, in so many words, also said he didn’t appreciate Lasorda’s comments during the bench-clearing milling around after the inning.

“I’m sure he (Valenzuela) knew I was in the batter’s box,” Lanier said. “I can’t imagine why he was trying to throw at me. Then, he grabbed his groin area, and I’m not going to take that.”

Valenzuela said he was only trying to keep his arm loose, not aim at Lanier, when he made the warmup throw.

“It was just stupid,” Valenzuela said. “I don’t really know why he’s mad. If I’m trying to hit him, I would hit him. This is my seventh year, and I never talk bad to anyone. But if somebody says something to me, I talk back.”

Lanier, 44, also had plenty to say about Lasorda.

“Let Lasorda pop off if he wants to,” Lanier said. “He can have a piece of me. Maybe he can do that crap in L.A., but not in Houston.”

Told of Lanier’s remarks, Lasorda exploded.

“Is that what he said?” Lasorda began. “That’s pretty tough, talking about taking on a 59-year-old man. Why doesn’t (Lanier) challenge Cresse (6 foot 3 inches, 220 pounds)? Because Cresse would pinch his head off, that’s why.

“If that’s what (Lanier) said, he has no class at all. I never said a word to him out there. When I was his age, I would have torn his (bleeping) head off.”

Lasorda said it was merely a coincidence that Valenzuela left the game after the seventh-inning incident. Valenzuela had pitched into and out of jams most of the early innings, allowing one run in the second and fourth innings. Valenzuela’s only easy innings were the first and seventh.

The Dodgers got to Astro starter Bob Knepper early. Scioscia had an RBI single in the second inning, Bill Madlock had an RBI bunt single in the third and rookie Mike Ramsey had an RBI triple in the fourth, which was followed by another run that Valenzuela knocked in with an infield single.

Staked to the 4-2 lead going into the eighth inning, the Dodgers called on their bullpen to preserve a Valenzuela win. But Howell and Young failed miserably.

Young, making his first regular-season appearance for the Dodgers, said he was overanxious and over-pitched when he threw two sliders in the dirt and to the backstop.

“I was just throwing too hard and trying to do too much,” Young said. “I was real anxious to throw the ball through a brick wall. This is the first time I’ve faced a situation like that (as a Dodger) in the (regular) season.”

The Dodgers, masters of the one-run loss in 1986, are 2 for 2 in one-run defeats this season.

And counting.

Dodger Notes

Bill Madlock had to leave the game in the fifth inning after a recurrence of soreness in his right shoulder. Madlock started at third base but was moved to first in the fourth inning to avoid having to throw as much. The next inning, he was replaced. . . . Pedro Guerrero said his right knee, which bothered him after a bad reaction to an anti-inflammatory shot on Sunday, still was not feeling well. He might try to play today, when the Dodgers close out the series with the Astros. Rick Honeycutt faces Nolan Ryan. The Dodgers open their home season Thursday at Dodger Stadium against the San Francisco Giants.