Cubs and Fans Give Dodgers a Break, 6-3

CHICAGO —  If the Dodgers were looking for a sign that the second half of their season will be better than the first, they found one Thursday in a smile by catcher Mike Scioscia after he dived into the Wrigley Field stands.

Not only was Scioscia smiling, he was walking and carrying the ball after a catching a popup by Doug Dascenzo. Both achievements were as big as the Dodgers’ 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs before 31,518.

It was the sixth inning, with two out and Domingo Ramos on second base after a double. The Dodgers led, 5-3, with Dascenzo facing a tiring Fernando Valenzuela.

Dascenzo lofted a foul ball into the box seats next to the Dodger dugout. Scioscia ran to the railing and dived into the stands. His teammates covered their faces. Scioscia considered covering his face.

“Usually you go into the stands here, and they rip your eyes out,” he said. “Usually I go in there and I’m hitting arms, and feeling people poking me in the eye, and I never have a chance.”

But this time was different. The tough Chicago fans wilted. Scioscia leaped over the rail, snared the ball in front of a fan and his 32-ounce beer and then pushed himself out of the stands like a man avoiding a snapping dog.

“I had a clear path to the ball, it was unbelievable,” he said. “I don’t know if there were Dodger fans in there or what.”

Somebody was watching out for the Dodgers Thursday. They also used three errors from the Cubs’ All-Star middle infield and survival techniques by Valenzuela and Jay Howell to beat Chicago for the seventh time in nine games.

If this team is distracted by Kirk Gibson’s demand to be traded, it didn’t show it.

“Do you think a guy like Eddie Murray gets up there with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and wonders where Kirk Gibson is going to be playing?” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said. “Not a chance. If Gibson wants to go, that is between him and management, and this team is not affected by it.”

Besides, the Dodgers didn’t need Murray in the ninth inning Thursday, as they scored their five runs in the first three innings, thanks in part to three rare Cub errors.

In the first inning against starter and loser Mike Harkey, shortstop Shawon Dunston booted Kal Daniels’ grounder and Gold Glove second baseman Ryne Sandberg botched Hubie Brooks’ grounder, leading to two runs. It was only the fourth time in 634 games that both players committed errors in the same game.

“When two of their All-Stars are doing that, we’re saying, ‘Hey, we’re in this game,’ ” said Lenny Harris, who had RBI singles in the second and third innings.

Dunston threw wildly on another grounder by Daniels in the second inning, leading to an RBI single by Murray. The third inning was the Cubs’ first clean inning of the game, but Harris still hurt them with an RBI single after singles by Juan Samuel and Valenzuela, who is hitting .324.

Harris improved his average to .296, including .319 in 141 at-bats as a leadoff hitter. But as always, when the Cubs brought in left-hander Paul Assenmacher in the seventh inning, Mike Sharperson pinch-hit for Harris.

“I’m just going to keep being quiet about it,” said Harris, still waiting for a regular chance at being the leadoff hitter. “A lot of people tell me I should be playing more, but the bosses make the decisions, not me. . . . I just work here.”

The Dodger offense made it easier for Valenzuela (7-7) and Howell, who picked up his fourth save in his last seven appearances, his fifth overall.

Valenzuela allowed the first four batters to reach base in the first inning on three hits and a walk. He then allowed only seven of the next 28 batters to reach base, and ended up yielding three earned runs and nine hits in seven innings to lower his earned-run average to 3.82.

“It’s the wind here--it made it hard to throw curveballs, so I stopped throwing curveballs,” Valenzuela said.

Howell started the eighth and promptly hit Dunston on the wrist, putting him out of the game with a bad bruise. One out later he gave up a single to Joe Girardi. But Marvell Wynne lined into a double play and Howell retired the side with two strikeouts in the ninth to end the game.

Dodger Notes

Jeff Hamilton’s recent optimism over his shoulder recovery has been dampened by continual pain in the front of the shoulder. Hamilton had hoped to begin throwing during this trip, and perhaps return to the lineup by Aug. 1, but Thursday the third baseman said his future was uncertain. “I have not improved since I started hitting (two weeks ago),” Hamilton said. “The shoulder hurts even to do simple things. I’m not very happy.” Hamilton had arthroscopic surgery May 4.

The Dodgers have altered their weekend pitching rotation to give Tim Belcher more time to recover from the cortisone shot he received last Sunday. Belcher will be moved from Saturday to Sunday, and Mike Morgan will be moved from Sunday to Saturday. . . . Merritt Willey, 66, the Dodgers’ executive vice president of marketing, died Thursday after a lengthy battle with cancer. Willey, known for his pleasant demeanor, helped build the Dodgers’ lucrative radio and television broadcast network. Arrangements are pending.