Brooks Is Making Himself at Home : Dodgers: Astros pitch around Murray and newcomer makes them pay with his third home run. Hershiser gets his first victory, 7-3.

Homecomings aren’t supposed to work like this.

Hubie Brooks, who returned to his native Los Angeles this season to play for the Dodgers, is supposed to at least look nervous.

If nothing else, after only one home run in 140 career at-bats at Dodger Stadium before this season, the new guy is positively not supposed to come in here and do this .

But it happened again Thursday night. Third inning, two outs, two strikes, two runners on base, Brooks batting, Houston’s Mike Scott pitching.

Swing. Line drive. The ball cleared the left-field fence before Brooks even had a chance to stare at it. Not that he would have. He jogged around the bases without even bothering to clap.

That’s two home runs in three home games for coolest Dodger, whose shot on Thursday broke a 1-1 tie and led the Dodgers to a 7-3 victory in front of 38,580.

“I was just trying not to strike out,” Brooks said with a tiny chuckle.

Asked about his history of trouble in Dodger Stadium, he smiled.

“I’m hoping to break that spell now,” he deadpanned. “Seeing as we play half of our games here.”

In winning their third in a row, and moving three games above the .500 mark, the Dodgers broke a couple of spells.

They showed that they have finally learned how to beat Scott, who in his 37 career games against them had allowed just more than six hits per nine innings. On Thursday he gave up six hits in four innings.

They showed that Orel Hershiser can be less than his best--giving up nine hits in seven innings--and still come away with a victory.

They showed that there exists a Dodger who is capable of hitting for the cycle. Kal Daniels came close, with a home run, double and single with three RBIs in four at-bats.

But more than anything, they showed what is happening this season to teams that believe they can pitch around Eddie Murray. Because batting behind Murray on Thursday, as he has so far against right-handed pitchers, was Brooks.

“Hubie can make a lot of people pay,” Murray said before the season.

And so it happened in the third inning with the score tied 1-1. With two out, Daniels hit an apparent single to left-center. But he rounded first and never stopped running, finally belly-flopping into second base with a double. It was the first time Daniels has given his surgically repaired knees such a test this season.

“My legs feel fine,” Daniels said. “Last weekend in Houston I told Pat Screnar (Dodger therapist) that I was ready to start stealing bases, and he gave me this funny look. But I’m ready to start stealing bases.”

With first base open, up stepped Murray, who was given three consecutive high-and-inside pitches from Scott. He ignored all three, and then Scott finally gave up and threw an intentional ball four for the walk.

In stepped Brooks, whose homer brought back memories of his opening day, three-run homer off Bruce Hurst that gave the Dodgers a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres. Of Brooks’ 12 hits this season, half have been for extra bases--three homers and three doubles.

Brooks said the pressure of playing on a truly home team has bothered him--for about three minutes.

“The first two days it was different, but now it’s all right,” he said. “I’m looking at things the way I should look at them. It’s a ballgame, with the other stuff left out of it.”

Hershiser, who won his first game while giving up three runs in seven innings, said he has seen some veteran players recharged by coming home.

“Once you get deep in your career, you look for things to pump you up on a daily basis,” Hershiser (1-0) said. “After two or three years, baseball really does become a job for us, and you need things to motivate you. For me, normal competition doesn’t always do that. I would think that coming home would be one of those motivating things.”

Dodger Notes

Entering the game, former Cy Young winner Mike Scott had been better against the Dodgers than against anybody. His five wins against them last season was the most by one pitcher against another club. In his career, counting one start this year, he was 17-10 with a 2.67 ERA against them. But after giving up seven runs in four innings Thursday, he is 0-1 overall with a 7.36 ERA. He has yielded nearly as many home runs, four, as he has recorded strikeouts, six. And Willie Randolph, after going 0-for-18 career against Scott, broke through Thursday with a two-run single in the fourth inning. “It’s not the first time I’ve hit him,” Randolph said. “It’s the first time a ball has found a hole.”

Eddie Murray, who has not made an error in 122 consecutive games, made a rare mental mistake in the first inning when he thought there were two out, and thus did not throw to second base for a possible double play on a grounder by Terry Puhl with Glenn Wilson on first. Wilson was safe at second, and, with two out, scored on an ensuing single by Ken Caminiti.

Jeff Hamilton will undergo a Magnetic Resonance Imaging exam this morning to determine the extent of the damage, if any, to his sore right shoulder. The MRI exam is similar to an X-ray of the muscle. Hamilton attempted to throw hard Thursday and said his shoulder “burned.” Monday’s cortisone shot apparently had little effect. “The shoulder still hurts. I can put my finger right on the pain spot,” Hamilton said. If Hamilton goes on the disabled list, look for the Dodgers to continue platooning Lenny Harris and Mike Sharperson in his spot. Since Hamilton went down April 14, the two players have combined for one hit in 15 at-bats. But team officials said they will both hit as they become more comfortable with their roles. Thoughts of moving Hubie Brooks to third base have been put aside, as Brooks prefers right field, and officials think he might have difficulty making the adjustment while still getting used to his surroundings. Brooks has not taken a ground ball at third base since becoming a Dodger.

This two-week home stand is important for Kirk Gibson, as it will be the first time since spring training that he will have consecutive days of warm weather to test his leg. Gibson, whose aching left knee has not allowed him to take live batting practice since the Freeway Series two weeks ago, may finally feel good enough to try it again during the home stand. “Once I start hitting regularly, I could be ready in three weeks,” Gibson said Thursday. Gibson continues to dress for every game so he can sit on the bench and study opponents, but it frustrates him. On Thursday afternoon, he said he spent several minutes hitting a clubhouse punching bag.

Jim Gott looked good in a simulated game Thursday afternoon, throwing hard for 15 minutes. If his surgically repaired elbow feels good today, look for the relief pitcher to throw another simulated game in a couple of days before making at least one appearance at Class-A Bakersfield on a rehabilitation option.