Dodgers Hit Road Happy : Baseball: They beat Mets for third time, 2-1, as Gonzalez steals home and the bullpen bounces back. L.A. wins seven of 10 games during home stand.

A benchwarmer stole home, the criticized bullpen stole some bats, and by the time the New York Mets could compose themselves Sunday, it was too late. The Dodgers had stolen another one-run game.

This time it was a 2-1 victory before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 45,313 that might have finally learned, to appreciate this team, you must find your seat early and stay in it.

Those who arrived after the third inning missed Jose Gonzalez’s steal of home on the front end of a perfect double-steal attempt that gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead against Frank Viola.

Those who left before the seventh inning missed three Dodger relief pitchers combining to strike out four Mets with runners in scoring position.

All of which accounted for Dodger smiles that equaled the size of their hopes.

“This is the way we love it,” said reliever Jim Gott, who worked out of a jam in the eighth. “Younger teams in this situation, they put too much pressure on themselves, I’ve seen it. But not this team, no way.

“This team takes it one pitch at a time. This team loves these kinds of games.”

Gonzalez, Saturday’s home run hero who stole home Sunday, laughed and said, “This is really getting exciting. This makes you so happy. This makes you work harder.”

By winning three of four against the Mets, the Dodgers regained sole possession of second place from the San Francisco Giants and remained 6 1/2 games behind the National League West-leading Cincinnati Reds, who beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-2.

The Dodgers finished their home stand 7-3. They have won nine of their last 13 games, eight of which have been decided by one run.

But if the Reds win only half of their remaining 36 games, the Dodgers are going to have to win 24 of their final 35 to catch them. That’s a .686 winning percentage, better than the .622 pace that they have kept since the All-Star break.

Beginning Tuesday in Philadelphia, 20 of those 35 games are on the road, where the Dodgers are 28-33. The Reds have three fewer road games and four more home games to play.

The Mets remained three games behind the Pirates in the East, but watched the heart of their lineup--Gregg Jefferies, Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson--collectively bat .130 this weekend with no runs batted in.

“We aren’t going anywhere the way we are,” said Viola, who had shut out the Dodgers in each of his two career starts against them before Sunday.

That streak was broken in the first inning when, despite a lineup that did not include Kal Daniels or Kirk Gibson, the Dodgers scored quickly. The run came on a walk to Gonzalez, a single by Sharperson and bloop single by Hubie Brooks.

Two innings later, they scored on the club’s second steal of home in three weeks--after the Dodgers hadn’t stolen home since 1984. With one out, Gonzalez singled, then raced to third on a hit-and-run single by Sharperson.

On a swinging strikeout by Murray, Sharperson sprinted toward second. As catcher Todd Hundley threw to second baseman Jefferies, third base coach Joe Amalfitano sent Gonzalez home.

With no play on Sharperson, Jefferies hurriedly threw high to Hundley and Gonzalez was safe on a play that Amalfitano says should not be forgotten.

“I wish they could get a film clip of that and send it to our teams in the instructional leagues and show our kids how it’s done,” Amalfitano said. “That was textbook.”

Pitcher Mike Hartley, making only his third major league start, held the Mets to three hits until he left the game after he started the seventh by walking Dave Magadan and before Jefferies singled.

That put the game in the hands of a bullpen that had blown an 11-1 lead to the Philadelphia Phillies last Tuesday in a 12-11 loss.

“Best thing that could happen to this bullpen, that loss,” Gott said. “Really woke us up.”

The Mets were convinced, beginning when rookie Dave Walsh gave up a single to Strawberry to load the bases but then struck out Johnson.

“I said, ‘This is it man,’ ” said Walsh, who gave up six unearned runs in one-third of an inning against the Phillies Tuesday. “I said, ‘Man, you’ve got to battle like you’ve battled all your life.’ ”

He was relieved by Tim Crews, who gave up the home run that made the score 11-11 Tuesday. Crews yielded a run-scoring single to McReynolds but, with the bases still loaded and one out, he struck out Tom O’Malley and Mackey Sasser.

“I said to myself, ‘Here I am, I’ve done this kind of thing for quite a while, I’m pretty accustomed to how it works, just throw strikes,’ ” Crews said.

Gott entered in the eighth and, after giving up a bloop double to Daryl Boston, he struck out Magadan. Then after walking Jefferies, he got Strawberry on a grounder to first to end the inning.

“Believe it or not, I wanted to face Strawberry,” Gott said. “He’s up there to win the game, and I’m out there to win the game, and that’s how I like it.”

Jay Howell relieved Gott and worked a perfect ninth inning for his 13th save.

Dodger Notes

Kal Daniels was not available to play because of the pulled muscle in his back that forced him out of Saturday’s game. “But I’ll be ready for Philly,” Daniels said of the Dodgers’ upcoming series beginning Tuesday. . . . Hubie Brooks left the game in the seventh inning because of soreness in his left knee caused by hitting first base hard while running out a grounder Saturday. But he said he also expects to be available Tuesday.

Alfredo Griffin and Juan Samuel boarded a plane for Pittsburgh after the game. They face a preliminary hearing this morning in Pittsburgh City Court on charges of simple assault after a July 21 incident at a bar.

Fred Claire said the Dodgers will recall a couple of role players from triple-A Albuquerque when the rosters expand Sept. 1. Leading candidates are catcher Darrin Fletcher, a left-handed hitter batting .301, and infielder Jose Vizcaino. . . . Claire said it was “very unlikely” that the Dodgers would make a trade before the Aug. 31 deadline for postseason eligibility. The Dodgers biggest need was a starting pitcher, but Mike Hartley and Jim Neidlinger have performed well in that role. They would like to trade Griffin, but there are few takers. . . . Claire said earlier this week that he would not negotiate with any of the club’s potential free agents until the end of the season or after the Dodgers fall from the pennant race, whatever comes first. These free agents include Kirk Gibson and Samuel, neither of whom is likely to return to the Dodgers.

DODGER ATTENDANCE Sunday: 45,313

1990 (66 dates): 2,463,515

1989 (66 dates): 2,536,004

Decrease: 72,489

Average: 37,326