European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 24, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 19 commentary last place questions new of Lasorda one of the additional burdens of finding yourself dead last has to do with All the annoying questions that come with it and Tommy Lasorda was doing the Best he could to handle one of them. So when Are you Gonna turn things around inquired one Man who had his two Small daughters with him when he approached the dodger manager for his autograph in the team s hotel lobby before monday night s game with the giants. We started already Lasorda answered in obvious reference to a get away Victory Over the braves in at Lanta that snapped a dodger five game losing Streak. The surge was a Short one however. The dodgers followed up that Victory with a loss to the giants writing his signature on three different pieces of paper so that the Man s two Little girls might have it As Well As their father Lasorda addressed his remarks As much to them As he did to him in talking about the dodgers embarrassing last place Start. Baseball is like a horse race declared the dodger manager in that enthusiastic affirmative Way of his which sometimes makes him sound like a sideshow Barker. Some get out of the Gate fast and never finish Lasorda went on. Others Start out slow and finish fast. 1 Don t care what kind of a race it is a baseball pen Nant race or the Kentucky Derby the Only thing that really counts is who crosses the the finish line  the two Little girls were hanging on Lasorda s every word. They weren t so sure they understood everything he was saying because they were Only 5 or 6 years old at most but they imagined it had to be important by the uncommon interest evidenced by their father. Last place is something almost entirely foreign to Lasorda. He can t relate to that too much having brought the dodgers Home in first place four times five if you re counting the split season in 1981, and never finishing lower than fourth since taking Over a their manager in 1977. This year the dodgers troubles began even before the season started when Pedro Guerrero their big run producer put himself on the shelf for three months and maybe longer by ripping up his knee in the team s last Spring game before leaving Florida. In addition two of the dodgers other More potent bats third baseman Bill Madlock and Steve sax also have been idled by injuries Madlock with phlebitis and sax with a bruised Heel. Both Are on a Day to Day basis now. Everywhere he goes Lasorda is asked what s wrong with the dodgers. People Aren t accustomed to seeing them in the cellar and Lasorda realizes he can t keep talking about his injuries. Nobody wants to listen to that. Ask Jim Frey of the cubs. What s wrong with our team Lasorda repeated a question put to him. Just one thing. We re not getting the big hit. The first 10 games we played were decided by one run. That s the first time it Ever happened in history right at the Start. I think the record for most consecutive one run games is 13 but that happened sometime after the beginning of the season. Our record is from opening Day. Of those 10 games we won three and lost seven. We could pc won nine of them. We were one base hit away in All those  with Guerrero Madlock and sax out of the lineup Mike Marshall emerges As the dodgers1 chief threat and naturally rival hurlers pitch around him preferring to take their chances with people like Mike Scioscia and Franklin Stubbs. Naturally too that makes Marshall Over anxious. He has been swinging at bad pitches instead of being More selective and accepting bases on balls. Remember that saying we had As kids a walk is As Good As a hit " Lasorda reminded. It still goes. If Mike is Over swinging that much he should take a Wal instead now and  Guerrero s loss to the dodgers is incalculable. Lasorda does t try to minimize it. I d rather lose my Bank account than lose Guerrero he says. You can t help missing someone like him. How much would you miss a Guy whom you knew before the season even started would hit 30-35 homers and drive in 90 to 100 runs still Lasorda is convinced the dodgers will Bounce Back. He s counting on his pitching to do it. His hitting has to improve he reasons and that makes sense since it can hardly get much worse. Collectively the dodgers Are hitting .210. Only the cubs Are any worse. After Pete Guerrero got Hurt i told our players if the Success of our team depends on one Guy we re in trouble Lasorda says. We be had bad starts before. We had one last year. We were six games out in May but you know How we finished up in october Don Tya first by 5 a. United press International cubs rebound to Down cards a photo mets George Foster. Not worried about  Foster prepared for smaller role it mets say so from press dispatches Chicago the slumping Chicago cubs got a boost with their Bottom of the ninth 3-2 Victory Over St. Louis on tues Day. And while Steve Trout did t get a win for his outstanding pitching he was Happy about the change in his team s Fortune. This can be a game that can pick a team up said Trout who shut out the cards for 82/4 innings before Clint hurdle s Pinch hit triple off reliever Jay Bailer tied the score. The no. 1 thing is we bounced Back after they tied it manager Jim Frey said after Ryne Sandberg s ninth inning Sacri fice Fly gave the cubs their third win in 10 games this season. We could have gone into a  Pat Perry relieved John Tudor and walked Bob Dernier to Start the Bottom of the ninth inning. Dernier went to second on a passed Ball by Catcher Mike Heath and Todd Worrell relieved Perry. Trillo bunted and Dernier beat Heath s throw to third. Pinch hitter Thad Bosley was intentionally walked to Load the bases and Dernier was no Roundup forced at the plate on Davey Lopes ground or to Short. Sandberg then lifted a Fly to Center and Trillo beat Willie Mcgee throw Home. Frey said he sent Bosley up to hit for hot hitting Shawon Dunston to Force St. Louis manager Whitey Herzog to make a move. I figured they might walk Bosley said Frey. By walking Bosley i knew we had a Chance to get Sandberg up there with less than two  Worrell is More of a Power Pitcher and i was just trying to get the Ball in the air and get the run in said Sandberg whose triple ignited a two run Chicago rally in the eighth. Herzog was miffed about the walk to Dernier leading off the ninth. The game was scoreless until the Bottom of the eighth when Sandberg tripled and Keith Moreland and Gary Matthews hit rib singles off Tudor. But after Trout got two outs to Start the ninth he walked Heath and allowed a sin Gle to Terry Pendleton. Bailer relieved and hurdle hitting for Ozzie Smith lined a 1-1 pitch off the right Field Wall to tie it. Trout allowed four hits struck out three and walked five getting 18 outs on ground balls. Tudor who has not lost a regular sea son game since last july 20, went eight innings allowing eight hits walking two and striking out five. Bailer 1-0, was the Winner and Perry i 1, the loser. In other games tuesday expos 8, Phillies 2 Montreal Andre Dawson hit his fourth Homer in his last four games and Tim Raines added a Solo shot As Montreal beat Philadelphia sending the Phillies to their fifth straight loss. Dawson who sat out sunday s game hit his Homer in the third to tie the game 2-2. Hubie Brooks led off the expos fourth with a double and was doubled Home by Wallach who moved to third when Luis Aguayo booted Vance Law s ground Ball and scored on Raines single to right. Mitch Webster then singled to drive in see no on Page 22 " a Iones 3 z million Man is ready to assume a lesser role with the mets if that is what the club wants. But i Don t think that s going to happen yet Foster says. Foster in the final year of a five year $10.2 million contract sat out two games Over the weekend against Philadelphia both new York victories. Mets manager l Avey Johnson said he just wanted Foster to and his hitting stroke. I wanted to give George a couple of jays off to get a lot of extra hitting in Johnson said after the mets 8-0 Victory sunday Over Philadelphia. He took about an hour of batting prac Tice each Day and he s been working with batting instructor Bill Robinson. I want to put him at ease try to get him enough hitting in to where he feels Comfort Able with his stroke. I Don t want him to see Foster on Page 22 botox Homer spree Downs tigers from press dispatches Boston Don Baylor Rich gedman and Tony armas homered off Jack Morris in the first five innings to Power Boston Over Detroit 6-4. It was a doubly costly loss for Detroit As right fielder Kirk Gibson severely sprained his left ankle and will be sidelined for four to six weeks. Story on Page 17 Morris 2-2, had Given up four homers in Detroit s 6-5 opening Day Victory Over bos ton. Winner Roger Clemens 3-0, struck out 10 tigers before leaving with two outs in the seventh. Baylor gave the red sox the Lead for Good with his fourth Homer of the season a two run blast in the third inning after Wade Boggs singled. It made the score 3-2. Boston ripped Morris for two More runs in the fourth on gedman s Lead off Homer Al Roundup his second and Boggs double that drove in Dwight Evans. Evans had walked stolen second and gone to third when Catcher Lance Parrish threw the Ball into Centerfield. Armas who totalled 102 homers for the past three seasons hit his first of the year in the sixth giving Boston a 6-2 Lead. Dave Collins singled in Detroit s third run in the seventh. The red sox opened the scoring with an unearned run in the first. Boggs doubled went to third on a wild pitch and scored when third baseman Darnell Coles booted Jim Rice s hard grounder for an error. Detroit took its Only Lead in the third when Mike Laga led off with a single and Coles hammered his second Homer. Laga also homered in the ninth. In other games tuesday orioles 5, indians 2 Cleveland Cal Ripken and Larry sheets homered off Phil Niekro and Ken Dixon scattered seven hits Over 8 /3 innings in near freezing temperatures As Baltimore Defeated Cleveland. The right handed Dixon 2-0, shrugged off a game time temperature of 33 degrees to strike put seven and walk one. Don Aase came of in the ninth to earn his fourth save. Niekro fell to 1-2 since joining the Indi ans on waivers from the new York Yankee son april 3. The orioles scored a run in the second on an error by Cleveland left fielder Mel Hall who dropped sheets Fly Ball to let Fred Lynn score from second base. Eddie Mur see Al on Page 22