[0] BROWN SUFFERS DEFEAT, BOOS; DODGERS ACE OUTDUELED BY SAN DIEGO'S ASHBY : SAN DIEGO 3 DODGERS 0.

Byline: Brian Dohn Daily News Staff Writer

Andy Ashby pitched a five-hit shutout. He dominated the Dodgers, was never even tested and looked like a $100 million pitcher.

Not many people noticed. They were too busy trying to make Dodgers pitcher Kevin Brown feel like the most hated man south of Los Angeles County.

For the first time since signing his lucrative offseason deal, Brown returned to the place he ruled less than a year ago. He is no longer welcomed here.

The San Diego Padres beat the Dodgers 3-0 Friday at Qualcomm Stadium, but to most of the 48,943 in attendance a win against the Dodgers was secondary. This was about beating Brown.

``I didn't know what the reaction would be, but I didn't think it would be like that,'' Padres left fielder Tony Gwynn said. ``He made a decision good for him and good for his family, so I can't fault him. That's why I was surprised.''

Brown heard hearty boos when he took the mound in the bottom of the first inning, when he batted twice and, especially, when he was taken out of the game with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

The fans were so revved up in hopes Brown would collapse that a few even made a papier-mache pinata of the right-hander. They paraded it around the stadium, stopped behind home plate and beat it repeatedly with a stick.

``You hear them, but it's no different than playing at Atlanta or in Houston in the playoffs,'' Brown said. ``That's their prerogative. I can't do anything about that. I play for the Dodgers. I don't think they're real popular down here.''

True, they don't like the Dodgers down here, but Brown is even less popular.

When he was taken out of the game with one out in the sixth inning, `Midnight Train to Georgia,'' a song by Gladys Knight and the Pips, serenaded Brown as he walked to the dugout. He's from Macon, Ga.

Brown allowed three runs (two earned) on 10 hits and struck out nine in 6-1/3 innings.

``I would have had to throw a shutout to give us a chance and I didn't do that,'' Brown said.

For four innings, Brown (1-1) did that, but he also allowed the leadoff batter to reach base in four straight innings. In three of those innings - the fifth, sixth and seventh - the Padres pushed across a run.

San Diego took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Quilvio Veras. John Vander Wal had an RBI single and Wally Joyner doubled in the Padres' final run, which knocked Brown out of the game.

``I didn't do a very good job of getting the first guy out,'' Brown said. ``I battled for a while, but eventually it came back to haunt me.''

Meanwhile, Ashby (2-1) breezed. The Dodgers didn't get more than one hit in any inning and had two runners on base only once. Ashby, who struck out eight, retired 12 of the last 14 Dodgers he faced.

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Photo

Photo: (Color) The Dodgers couldn't solve San Diego's Andy Ashby or muster any multi-hit innings.

Denis Poroy/Associated Press