Hershiser Has Shades of ’88 in 9-1 Victory : Dodgers: He gives up one run to Astros in six innings and gets strikeouts when he needs them.

HOUSTON — It may not have been a no-hitter, but was it dressed up like one. There was emotion, surprise and Orel Hershiser clenching fists and feeling goose bumps.

“At one point tonight Orel threw as well as I have ever seen him throw,” catcher Mike Scioscia said. “ Ever. “

Pitching for the first time in 16 days, Hershiser rediscovered his place in this championship race Wednesday night by giving up one run in six innings to lead the Dodgers to a 9-1 victory before 7,642 at the Astrodome.

While the first-place Atlanta Braves charmed the baseball world with their no-hitter against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers remained fixed on Hershiser, who could start against the Braves in Los Angeles next weekend if his shoulder stays strong.

“When we saw the Braves score, it was like, ‘Man, we know they are hot, they have been hot, this thing is coming down to the six games we play against each other, we all know that,’ ” Jim Gott said. “But to watch Orel, after all he has been through . . . now that was something.”

On a night when Brett Butler left the game because of a stiff back that he said will not keep him out of today’s lineup, the Dodgers remained stuck in second place, half a game behind the Braves with 22 games remaining.

But for one night, the Dodgers were looking closer at a different set of numbers.

Hershiser threw 86 pitches, his most since Aug. 7. He struck out five, walked none. He yielded 13 grounders and four fly balls.

And when he needed to reach back and show the Astros a bit of 1988, he did. That came in the fifth inning, while protecting a 5-1 lead, with bases loaded and one out.

He struck out Ken Caminiti on three pitches. Then he struck out Mike Simms on five pitches. Both strikeouts came on dipping, darting curveballs.

Hershiser stalked off the mound pumping his fists while shouting to himself. The message was clear.

“I got a big bunch of goose bumps out there when I struck out Caminiti,” Hershiser said. “It was like, this rehabilitation has all been worth it. Even if I never throw another pitch again, to be able to do that has made it worth all the work.”

Then he added: “I know there’s been a lot of questions surrounding my future. Any time I get a good outing like this, it calms people down and reminds them that Orel Hershiser still has a future.”

The Dodgers had 14 hits against the Astros’ Pete Harnisch, who had a 1.97 earned-run average in the Astrodome.

After being shut out in Cincinnati Tuesday for the first time since Aug. 9, the Dodgers benefited from Eddie Murray’s 17th home run, Mike Scioscia’s sixth home run and two runs batted in from Darryl Strawberry, who has 21 of his 83 RBIs against the Astros.

“It was a nice cushion to take to the mound when you feel like a stranger out there,” said Hershiser, who had a 6-0 lead after three innings, thanks in part to his run-scoring double.

Lately Hershiser, who is 6-2 with a 4.01 ERA, could be forgiven for feeling like a stranger in his own clubhouse. Even though he says he needed to miss two recent starts because of his shoulder stiffness and because the Dodgers wanted to put stronger pitchers in the rotation, missing out on all the fun made him uncomfortable.

And when he began warming up Wednesday, knowing that the Dodger starters had combined to pitch 4 2/3 innings during the previous two nights, he felt a bit of uneasiness.

“I felt no pressure or fear . . . but it was important for me to give the bullpen a rest,” he said. “If I had gone one or two innings, after what happened to our starters the last couple of nights, it would have really put a burden on the bullpen. It would have set us up for dog days this weekend in Atlanta.”

But he warmed up well and then answered his biggest question in the third inning, after giving up a one-out triple to Steve Finley.

“Having not pitched in a while, I did not know if, the first time I was in a jam, whether I would be able to make the pitches,” he said.

But he retired Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell on fly balls to end the inning. Now for the next question he needs to answer. What will be his role in these final three weeks?

If his shoulder can recover, he will make his next start Monday in Los Angeles against Cincinnati. And a strong outing and recovery there would allow him to start against Atlanta at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 21.

But only four times in 18 starts this season has he lasted at least six innings on consecutive starts. So he remains unsure.

“If my ability warrants it, I want to be out there . . . but I’m still not sure I’ll have a chance to do that,” Hershiser said. “But if I throw as well as I did tonight, I’m ready.”

Butler, who strained his back sliding into second base during a first-inning steal, said he will be ready today.

A THROWBACK: The art of sign stealing, which Cincinnati pitcher Norm Charlton says prompted him to throw at Dodger Mike Scioscia in Monday night’s game, is part of baseball lore. C7