Dodgers Swoon, Win It in 10th

SAN FRANCISCO —  Try as they might, the Dodgers couldn’t give it away.

Todd Zeile scored on a passed ball, then pinch-hitter Nelson Liriano hit a one-out, two-run double off reliever Doug Henry in the 10th inning as the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants, 11-7, Friday night at 3Com Park.

The Dodgers, who blew a 7-0 lead after three innings, ended the Giants’ five-game winning streak and cut San Francisco’s NL West lead to six games.

Relief pitcher Todd Worrell is one of the best closers in baseball, but Worrell couldn’t close out the Giants.

Worrell, who entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with Dodgers leading, 7-6, gave up a two-out home run to Barry Bonds as the Giants scored in every inning from the fifth through the ninth.

Worrell worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam, striking out Rick Wilkins after a ground-rule double to Mark Lewis and walks to J.T. Snow and Bill Mueller, to send the game into extra innings.

When the Dodgers rallied and Mark Guthrie pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th, Worrell (1-1) had become the winning pitcher.

The Dodgers recalled outfielder Karim Garcia from the minors last week because they were in desperate need of a left-handed power hitter.

Garcia hit a three-run homer off Giant starter Osvaldo Fernandez in the second inning and made a sensational back-handed running catch to rob Mueller of an extra-base hit in the third inning.

Greg Gagne, who had batted .245 with a home run and and seven RBIs in his last 53 at-bats, hit a home run just two pitches after Garcia’s blast.

But the Dodgers did their best to give it away.

Ismael Valdes, who had given up only three home runs in his last 58 2/3 innings, gave up fifth-inning home runs to Bonds and Snow and a two-run sixth-inning home run to Lewis before he was relieved by Scott Radinsky, who gave up a seventh-inning run.

Darren Hall, who had given up only one earned run and six hits in last 12 innings, gave up a one-out RBI single to Snow.

But Antonio Osuna, who relieved Hall with runners on first and second, got pinch-hitter Marvin Benard to pop out to left and struck out Darryl Hamilton to end the inning.

Valdes, who was shoved out of the dugout by Manager Bill Russell after he threw a fit when Russell pulled him for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Giants on June 5, hasn’t lost Russell’s support.

“It’s probably just a combination of a lot of things,” Russell said before the game. “Most of it is mechanics. His stuff is still there. It’s just a matter of going out and throwing it where you want to. Sometimes you lose it for a while and then reel off five or six runs and I’m hoping it will be tonight.

“He knows that he’s struggled, but he’s still confident within himself. He could go out there at any time and throw a shutout.”

Valdes, who gave up five runs on seven hits in five innings in his last start against the Giants, retired the first 12 Giants before giving up a home run to Bonds on his first pitch in the fifth. Snow belted a one-out home run as the Giants began their comeback.

Valdes was pulled for Radinsky after Lewis’ homer in the sixth inning.

“He knows that he needs to improve,” Mike Piazza said of Valdes, who gave up four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings, with two walks and two strikeouts. “It’s not a secret, he just hasn’t been pitching up to his potential. I think it’s a combination of things. He’s had a combination of things, but that’s life as a big league pitcher.

“He’s had some hard luck, but the true test is how you bounce back from that.”

The Dodgers had scored only 29 runs in Valdes’ last 12 starts, but they eventually bounced back to avoid an embarrassing defeat.

* MARTINEZ SCRATCHED: Sore shoulder sidelines today’s scheduled starter. Candiotti will fill in and make his first start of the season. C7

* AN EVEN DOZEN: Bobby Jones became the first 12-game winner in the majors, going 8 2/3 innings in Mets’ 1-0 victory over the Pirates. C6