1988 Dodgers Week 3 review: Rain, injuries dampen undefeated week

The Dodgers had one of the most bizarre weeks since moving to Los Angeles. They had four consecutive games rained out, including three in a row at Dodger Stadium, and they won the remaining games while outscoring their opponents 20-3. But the rain may have come at a good time for the Dodgers, who suffered three key injuries.

Center fielder John Shelby strained a left abdominal muscle and was placed on the disabled list, while left fielder Kirk Gibson strained his left hamstring, second baseman Steve Sax sprained a finger, and relief pitcher Alejandro Pena also dealt with a sore back.

Gibson lost a single that he hit in the first inning on Friday night at Candlestick Park, a game that saw a six-minute top of the first before getting stopped for rain, then eventually postponed.

Before this week there were only 12 rainouts in the first 25 years of Dodger Stadium, but the final three games against the Padres from Tuesday to Thursday were washed out. It marked just the third time in Dodger Stadium history that consecutive games were rained out, along with Sept. 10-11, 1976 against the Braves and May 8-9, 1977 against the Phillies.

The rainouts washed out the final three games of the series against the Padres, who called up second baseman Roberto Alomar from Triple A Las Vegas on Wednesday. The son of San Diego third base coach and former major leaguer Sandy Alomar made his major league debut on Friday at Jack Murphy Stadium rather than earlier in the week at Dodger Stadium.

Dodger Batter of the Week: Catcher Mike Scioscia continued his assault on National League pitching, with six hits in nine at-bats, including a double plus three walks for a .750 on-base percentage. Through 12 games, Scioscia is hitting .474/.543/.553 (18-for-38 with seven walks) with eight runs scored and seven runs batted in.

Honorable mention goes to Mike Marshall, who followed an intentional walk to Pedro Guerrero with a grand slam on Saturday to put the finishing touches on a 10-3 Dodgers win over the Giants. It came 368 days after Marshall followed an intentional walk to Guerrero with a three-run home run to beat the Giants in extra innings, followed by pointing at San Francisco manager Roger Craig.

"I don't blame any manager for walking Pete," Marshall told Sam McManis of the Los Angeles Times. "He's one of the top five hitters in the National League. It's important that I do the job, because batting in the fifth slot is important on this team. The most important thing is that, next time, maybe Pete will get to hit."

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Tim Leary continued his hot start with a shutout of the Padres on Monday that included 11 strikeouts. Leary is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA through his first three starts of the season.

Honorable mention goes to Fernando Valenzuela, who was the scheduled pitched from Tuesday through Friday, then got bumped to Sunday after warming up in the cold Friday night in San Francisco. Valenzuela pitched 7⅔ scoreless innings against the Giants, evening his record at 2-2.

Week 2 Record: 3-0

20 runs scored (6.67 per game)
3 runs allowed (1.00 per game)
.970 pythagorean winning percentage

Seasonal Record: 11-4

69 runs scored (4.60 per game)
36 runs allowed (2.40 per game)
.767 pythagorean winning percentage (12-3)

Hamilton, Belcher get wake-up call: Dodgers third baseman Jeff Hamilton, 0-for-6 in 11 games through Sunday, had an unusual ordeal on Monday. Sam McManis of the Times has the details:

He awoke to the sound of his 1987 Camaro crashing through the garage of his Azusa condominium and breaking a gas pipe in his living room. "The garage was cement that they had just recently poured and the car was sitting on wood planks," Hamilton said. "The car fell about 4 1/2 feet and ended up tilted at an angle in the dirt. Hamilton, his wife, Shelley, and his dog were forced to leave the complex because of the gas leak. Tim Belcher, who also lives in the complex, also has moved out. "I had only been there two days, and my wife had just come into town," Hamilton said. "I don't know where I'll sleep tonight (Monday), some place that will take a dog." As for Hamilton's car, he said it has front and rear damage.

Suck it, San Francisco: Before Saturday's game against the Giants at Candlestick Park, the first game in five days for the Dodgers, the Dodgers players voted against making up Friday's rainout on Monday, Apr. 25 in San Francisco, enforcing a rule that doesn't require the players to show up to the ballpark more than 20 days in a row without their consent. From the Times:

The Giants apparently were not aware of a rule preventing a team from playing more than 20 consecutive days. The Dodgers voted Saturday morning for a compromise by playing a Monday afternoon game. "This is our ballpark," Giant Manager Roger Craig said. "We'll dictate when we want to play." Giant General Manager Al Rosen told Tom Lasorda, the Dodger manager, that his "inmates are running the asylum." The Giants finally decided to play a doubleheader July 26, nearing the end of a 15-day Dodger trip.

Transactions:

Thursday: placed outfielder John Shelby on the disabled list with a strained stomach muscle; recalled outfielder Mike Deveraux, who was hitting .395 with 11 runs batted in, six extra-base hits, and three stolen bases in 14 games with Triple A Albuquerque.

Game Results:

• Monday, Apr. 18: Dodgers 6, Padres 0
• Tuesday, Apr. 19: Dodgers vs. Padres - ppd, rain
• Wednesday, Apr. 20: Dodgers vs. Padres - ppd, rain
• Thursday, Apr. 21: Dodgers vs. Padres - ppd, rain
• Friday, Apr. 22: Dodgers at Giants - ppd, rain
• Saturday, Apr. 23: Dodgers 10, Giants 3
• Sunday, Apr. 24: Dodgers 4, Giants 0

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers run the Jose Cardenal Gauntlet, with a pair of home series against the Cubs and Cardinals.

Previous 1988 weeks in review: Apr 4-10 | Apr 11-17

Week 3 Stats