[0] CUBS RIP DODGERS WITH PEREZ'S HELP : CHICAGO 10, DODGERS 5.

Byline: Brian Dohn Daily News Staff Writer

The Dodgers haven't put together a winning streak to separate themselves from most of the National League. That's what manager Davey Johnson has said the past few days.

Tuesday afternoon Johnson mentioned it again, but added the Dodgers have been on the precipice of such a streak, yet unable to get it going despite a five-game winning streak on a recent road trip.

Another opportunity was lost as the Chicago Cubs hit three homers off starter Carlos Perez and went on for a 10-5 win at Dodger Stadium. The teams, who have each won a game in the series, conclude their three-game series tonight. The only encouraging sign for the Dodgers was the continued hot-hitting of right fielder Raul Mondesi. He hit a pair of homers for the second consecutive game.

Mondesi had three RBI and scored three runs. He hit a two-run homer in the sixth and added one in the eighth. The second put Mondesi atop baseball with 13 homers.

While Mondesi was the good, Perez was the bad. Scratched from his scheduled start last Wednesday in Montreal after a mysterious knee ailment, Perez gave up six runs for the third time in six starts.

The Dodgers hoped Perez had recovered from early-season difficulties in which he gave up 16 runs in three starts, pitching seven innings just once. Instead, Perez, who was also skipped in the rotation because of off days last month, saw his ERA shoot from 5.65 to 6.23.

While Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa hit his eighth homer of the season, a solo shot to right-center in the sixth, it was shortstop Jose Hernandez who was the offensive catalyst.

Hernandez was a single shy of a cycle. He had three RBI and scored three runs. Hernadez's two-run homer off Perez (1-4) in the third inning gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Mark Grace made it back-to-back homers as the Cubs went ahead 3-0.

The Dodgers pulled within 3-2 in the fourth on a two-run double by Eric Karros, but Hernandez's leadoff triple in the sixth helped the Cubs cushion their lead. He scored on a sacrifice fly and Sosa homered to give Chicago a 5-2 lead.

With most of the long-ball attention placed on Sosa, his counterpart continued his torrid pace. Mondesi's two-run shot helped the Dodgers creep within 5-4.

Cubs starter Kyle Farnsworth then surrendered a single to Todd Hundley and was promptly lifted in favor of Rodney Myers. Farnsworth (2-0) allowed four runs on six hits in five-plus innings and won thanks to a blockbuster five-run seventh inning in which the Dodgers used three pitchers.

Benito Santiago started the inning with a single to left, which was all Johnson needed to see, given Perez's seventh-inning dilemmas this season. Twice Perez has allowed four runs in the seventh inning, and Johnson vowed to keep a close eye on him from now on.

Johnson turned to right-hander Antonio Osuna, who did nothing to alleviate the problem.

Jeff Blauser smacked Osuna's first pitch for a double to left and Santiago scored on a wild pitch, diving to avoid Osuna's tag. Myers followed with a run-scoring single. After Lance Johnson grounded out to third, Hernandez doubled to the base of the right field wall to score Myers and give the Cubs an 8-4 lead.

Osuna walked Mark Grace before recently recalled right-hander Mike Maddux came in to face Sosa, who doubled to right. Gary Gaetti's sacrifice fly plated Sosa and put the Cubs ahead 10-4. It's the fourth time in 33 games the Dodgers have given up at least 10 runs.

Mondesi then led off the eighth with a homer, the third time he's hit two homers in a game this season and the 11th time in his career.

After that, the only piece of interest remaining in the game was whether Hernandez would be able to hit for the cycle. However, Dodgers left-hander Onan Masaoka retired Hernandez on a long fly to center.

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PHOTO Chicago's Sammy Sosa, who homered in the sixth, is forced out by the Dodgers' Jose Vizcaino.

Kevin Karzin/Associated Press