DODGERS `DEKED' BY ASTROS; BUTLER'S RETURN MEANS JUST ANOTHER CLOSE LOSS : HOUSTON 4, DODGERS 3.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

For more than a month he sat, wanting so much to help his floundering team. Numerous times he called himself a caged lion.

Tuesday, after playing for the first time since April 30, Brett Butler could talk about something besides his ailing shoulder. Losing.

He had a chance to help in the Dodgers' 4-3 loss in 10 innings to Houston at the Astrodome. He came through a couple of times. He failed another time.

``I didn't do my job,'' Butler said. ``Somebody didn't do his job. Somebody else didn't do his job. We're all to blame.''

Jeff Bagwell's home run to the flower beds beyond left field off Scott Radinsky in the 10th dropped the Dodgers (27-28) below .500 for the first time since Opening Day. They were 1-5 on the trip and have lost 12 of their past 16 heading into tonight's opener of an eight-game homestand.

Butler, who went on the disabled list May 7 with torn cartilage in his left (throwing) shoulder, was 1 for 5 Tuesday. He reached base in the first inning on an error by shortstop Ricky Gutierrez and stole second, where he was stranded. He singled down the left field line in the third inning, stole second again and was stranded at third.

``We lost and it didn't matter,'' Butler said. ``But it did feel good to get back out there.''

Butler made just two catches in center field. Once, left fielder Todd Hollandsworth ran into left center and caught a ball that the center fielder usually would have taken. It was something Butler worked out with his fellow outfielders.

``Why not take some of the pressure off his arm?'' Hollandsworth said.

Someone needs to relieve more pressure than that on this team.

It seemed to reach the boiling point for one key player after Tuesday's ninth inning.

The Dodgers tied the game 3-3 in the eighth inning on consecutive hits by Eric Anthony, Mike Piazza and Eric Karros and an RBI grounder by Hollandsworth.

Nelson Liriano led off the ninth with a single. But Butler failed to move Liriano over with a bunt and flied out. Anthony then struck out. Piazza got two strikes on him before Liriano took off running on a pitch Piazza lined to the right field corner.

Liriano represented the tying run but stopped about a foot after rounding second. It was then that he looked to third base coach Mike Scioscia, who was waving for him to run. As Liriano approached third, Scioscia was still waving him around. But right fielder Ray Montgomery's throw reached the infield by that time and Scioscia stopped Liriano.

Liriano said that he was trying to steal, heard Piazza hit the ball and then got ``deked'' by Astros second baseman Craig Biggio. Biggio motioned as if a throw was coming to second. That's why he stopped, Liriano said. The Astros supported his contention, some even calling Biggio's fake the key play of the game.

But it didn't matter. Liriano had clearly erred.

``That's a veteran mistake he made,'' Russell said of Liriano, who has played in the major leagues for parts of 10 seasons.

``I was waiting for Nelly to pick me up,'' Scioscia said. ``He stopped before he gave me a look. You want people to peek in and see the ball. Whenever you're in doubt or you hear a hit, you want to (watch for) your coach.''

When Karros popped out in foul territory to end the Dodgers' half of the ninth, Piazza walked deliberately to the dugout, sat on the bench and slammed his helmet on the ground. He stopped screaming only for a moment as he walked to get water, chucked the cup to the side and sat back down to put on his catching gear.

``I was mad because it was a run that could have put us ahead,'' Piazza said after his third straight multiple-hit effort. ``I'm not upset. I was upset. What can you do. It's done.

``We're just playing bad baseball. We've just got to try to play better baseball. When you have a team that's not scoring runs, you can't afford to make mistakes like that.''

That's mistakes, plural.

``Everyone is to blame,'' Butler said. ``They seem to be magnified. Nelson's mistake wouldn't be a mistake if I got down the bunt. We can go through the whole game. Everyone didn't do their job. That's what's frustrating.

``That's the difference between the winners and the wannabes. Unless we wannabe at the bottom, we'd better start getting our act together.''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) BUTLER

(2) Dodgers shortstop Greg Gagne tumbles across home after being tagged out in the second inning by Houston's Tony Eusebio.

Associated Press