Chamberlain Wilts in Left; Dodgers Win : Baseball: Two mental errors by Phillie outfielder help Los Angeles get a second consecutive victory in last at-bat, 2-1.

One thing that was wrong during the Dodgers’ disastrous East Coast trip, in which they lost nine of 11 games, was they they were missing outfielder Kal Daniels.

Daniels, who left the team July 13 to be with his ailing mother, made his first start in 11 games Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Dodgers won in their last at-bat for the second consecutive game, 2-1.

Daniels went two for four and ignited the come-from-behind victory before 36,127 fans at Dodger Stadium.

Daniels was hitting .310 in an eight-game stretch when he left. The Dodgers were 3-7 while he was gone.

Daniels, who said he hadn’t had a chance to work out while he was away, sat out Tuesday night’s 6-5 victory, then took extra batting practice before Wednesday’s game. It paid off as he singled in the fourth and doubled in the ninth.

“I hate to be away from the team especially during a losing streak, but my mother is more important,” Daniels said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective.”

But the Dodgers wouldn’t have won it without the aid of Phillie rookie left fielder Wes Chamberlain, who made mental errors in the eighth and ninth innings.

With the score tied, 1-1, in the bottom of the ninth, Daniels led off with a double to left against reliever Steve Searcy. Stan Javier ran for Daniels and Mike Sharperson, pinch-hitting for Lenny Harris, sacrificed him to third.

Catcher Mike Scioscia then drove in Javier with the winning run with a sacrifice fly into foul territory in left. Chamberlain should have let Scioscia’s fly drop, but he caught it, and Javier easily beat his throw to score as the Dodgers extended their lead to 4 1/2 games over the Atlanta Braves.

“I shouldn’t have caught it,” Chamberlain said. “You learn from your mistakes. You’ve got to take your bumps. I admit I made some mistakes and they cost us the game. I made a bad decision. Those things happen.”

Said Phillie Manager Jim Fregosi of Chamberlain’s mental error: “Nobody can help you. Hell, you’ve got to know where you’re at.”

Was Scioscia surprised that Chamberlain didn’t drop the ball?

“Actually I was shocked that it went foul,” Scioscia said. “I thought it was in play the whole time until I saw it on video.”

Chamberlain also had a hand in the Dodgers’ game-tying run in the bottom of the eighth.

Trailing 1-0, the Dodgers tied the score when Brett Butler led off the inning when a triple to left and scored on Eddie Murray’s sacrifice fly to center.

Chamberlain tried to make a diving catch on Butler’s sinking liner, but he missed and the ball rolled to the left-field corner, which allowed Butler to reach third. If Chamberlain had allowed the ball to drop he might have been able to hold Butler to a single or, at worst, a double.

Asked if Chamberlain should have conceded Butler a double, Fregosi said: “Concede a double? I think it’s more like concede a single.”

Butler thought he might have had an inside-the-park homer after Chamberlain failed to make the catch.

“My first thought was inside-the-park,” Butler said. “But when I came into third I knew it was just a triple.”

If not for Chamberlain’s mistakes, Phillie starter Jose DeJesus would have beaten the Dodgers. DeJesus gave up only three hits in eight innings and struck out six.

“It’s sad that we lost, but I can’t do nothing about it,” DeJesus said. “I commit mistakes. I throw pitches I don’t want to, and so do outfielders. It’s just part of the game.”

Said Fregosi: “He pitched his butt off. He deserved a better fate.”

Lenny Dykstra, who singled to right in his first three at-bats before drawing a walk, almost won the game single-handedly for the Phillies.

Dykstra, sidelined for more than two months with injuries sustained in an alcohol-related traffic accident, has been the Phillies’ hottest hitter since he returned July 15.

Dykstra gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the fifth when he singled to right with two out and reached second on a wild pitch. Second baseman Mickey Morandini drove him in with a single toleft.

Darryl Strawberry extended his hitting streak to a season-high 10 games with a second-inning single. That and Daniels’ single to left in the fourth were the Dodgers’ only hits until Butler’s triple.