Morgan’s Two-Hitter Beats Cincinnati, 4-1 : Baseball: Dodgers get fifth consecutive victory in dealing the Reds’ their eighth loss in a row.

A pennant race returned to Dodger Stadium Monday on the sleeves of a hustling, free-swinging, high-fiving Dodger team that is joining the Giants in making the Cincinnati Reds sweat.

With two-hit pitching by Mike Morgan and an 11-hit attack, the Dodgers defeated Cincinnati, 4-1, to move to within seven games of the first-place Reds.

In winning their fifth consecutive game while the Reds lost their eighth in a row, the Dodgers also moved to within 1 1/2 games of second-place San Francisco.

“What we did tonight, we have to do every night, because we are in a pennant race,� pronounced catcher Rick Dempsey. “We are screaming and hollering in the dugout again. It is like 1988 again.

“We are going to go out (today) with Tim Belcher and try to beat the Reds right into the ground.�

Before 43,616 fans, most of whom stayed until the end, the Dodgers showed that they have not forgotten what a pennant race looks like.

Their attack featured a first-inning home run by Kirk Gibson; a pressure-RBI single by Dempsey; and pressure on Reds’ pitcher Norm Charlton such that he threw two consecutive wild pitches, leading to another run.

Morgan picked the biggest game of his Dodger career to pitch one of the best games of his life. He struck out seven and walked just one in the low-hit game of his life.

He had a perfect game through 6 1/3 innings, until Barry Larkin singled to left field. Paul O’Neill then singled to center, moving Larkin to third base, from which he scored on Eric Davis’ grounder.

But the Reds did not hit Morgan again. In case there were still non- believers in the ninth inning, he capped the game with a leaping grab of Eddie Murray’s shovel toss to force out pinch-hitter Ken Griffey at first base on a grounder. Morgan landed in a heap and twisted his right ankle, but he would not leave the game until he recorded the final two outs.

“This is the first time in my career I have been in a pennant race. . . . I wasn’t coming out,� said Morgan (9-9), who broke a two-game losing streak. “This was a big win for myself, but moreso my team. After the All-Star break we were 13 games back, and now we look up and see that we are just seven.

“It’s wild. It’s a three-team race. And we’re in it.�

Morgan only hopes he will be in it. He said he was uncertain if his ankle, which was heavily wrapped after the game, would allow him to make his next start.

“It’s pretty bad . . . but I’ve pitched three innings with a turned ankle before,� he said. “And this is a pennant race.�

It seems the Reds are unsure. They appeared rattled from the moment in the first inning that Gibson lined a 2-and-1 pitch from Charlton into the right-field seats for his fourth homer.

In the fourth inning, Hubie Brooks led off with a double to left. Dempsey followed with a single to center, scoring Brooks. Charlton moved Dempsey around the bases on two consecutive wild pitches. From third base, he easily scored on Juan Samuel’s single.

Now that the Dodgers are in the pennant race, they must find a fifth starting pitcher to help keep them there. That means they now turn their attention to today’s 9 p.m deadline for trading players without requiring waivers.

Suddenly, it appears the surging Gibson, who earlier demanded a trade, may stick around for at least a few more weeks. It doesn’t appear the Dodgers can find the type of pitcher that would compensate for his loss.

“It is very unlikely we will make a trade by that deadline,� Vice President Fred Claire said Monday. “We have to look at the balance of our ballclub. We do not want to weaken ourselves.

“The likelihood that we will fill our need for a a fifth starter through a trade is not very likely.�

For the moment, they will turn to triple-A Albuquerque again for that pitcher. After Monday’s game, the Dodgers promoted Jim Neidlinger, 8-5 with a 4.29 ERA at Albuquerque. The right-hander, in his seventh minor-league season, has yet to pitch in the big leagues.

Neidlinger will start Wednesday against San Francisco, replacing Terry Wells, who was demoted.

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda hopes that, for now, his other starters can cover for a weak fifth link.

“All we need now is consistent starting pitching,� Lasorda said. “We’ve got (Ramon) Martinez and Belcher going good. Now if we can get Morgan and Fernando (Valenzuela) going good consistently, that is four good starters right there, and we’ll be OK.�

Dodger Notes

Ben Wade, Dodger scouting director for 18 years, announced Monday that he will retire at the end of the year. Wade, 67, helped build the great Dodger teams in the early 1980s, but lately he and the Dodger farm system have come under fire in the media for a series of first-round draft picks that have not progressed as hoped. None of the nine Dodger starters Monday were products of the Dodger system. “I’ve been criticized, but that didn’t bother me,� Wade said.

“People never got on me for signing guys like Bob Welch, who nobody else would touch. I’m leaving just because I feel it’s time for a change.� The search for Wade’s successor could be the most important work the Dodgers do this summer. “It is not just an important job, it is the most important job here,� Vice President Fred Claire said.

Alfredo Griffin’s bad month became worse last week when his mother, Mary, suffered a stroke at her Dominican Republic home. Griffin, who this month has endured a hitting slump and an arrest after a bar fight, said he considered returning to the Dominican, but his mother improved and was released from the hospital Monday. . . . Don Aase pitched the equivalent of three innings in his first simulated game since being put on the disabled list July 2 with a tender shoulder. He could be ready for a rehabilitation assignment by next week. The Dodgers’ other disabled reliever, Pat Perry, threw for 20 minutes on the side and will pitch his first simulated game next week.