[0] DODGERS MANAGE TO AVOID A SWEEP ASHBY GOOD ENOUGH IN HIS PITCHING DEBUT DODGERS 7, ARIZONA 5.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Dodger Stadium is a pitcher's park, so the front office abandonded the power-driven offense it built for two seasons and went back to what works here - a strong pitching staff to make use of the cool, dry nights that doesn't carry baseballs.

In essence, the Dodgers front office did everything this offseason to go back to the Dodgers philosophy that was successful before reinvention came along. The next step is getting the club actually to take advantage of its surroundings, something absent the last two seasons.

Which is why the Dodgers' 7-5 win against Arizona in front of 20,542 Thursday was important on a few levels, not the least of which was avoiding a sweep to the division-rival Diamondbacks.

And not the least of which was free-agent acquisition Andy Ashby giving a glimpse of what it might be like to have a competent fourth starter this season (the Dodgers got 11 wins from their fourth and fifth starters last season). Ashby won his Dodgers debut by allowing four runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

``The way I look at it, we don't want to feel the same way we felt last year playing at home and start losing games,'' said shortstop Alex Cora, who had an RBI triple in the second inning. ``That's the only thing. That was something we were looking to improve.''

A year ago the Dodgers went 42-39 on the road, one of the best marks in baseball. But their downfall, or one of many, was their 44-37 at home. In 1999, the Dodgers went 37-44 at Chavez Ravine.

``We haven't swung the bats that well, but we've swung them better than it looks,'' said catcher Paul LoDuca, who is 5 of 11 with four RBI. ``The guys know we have to start doing well at home because we've struggled here the last couple years - win games for the fans here. I think that's tied in with us being a little anxious.''

The Dodgers saw no reason to get in a tizzy because the offense, burdened by a 0-for-13 start from the leadoff spot, managed a paltry five runs in three games, nor because they had 15 hits. Mostly because in their two losses they faced Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.

Any anxiety disappeared quickly against Diamondbacks starter Brian Anderson.

Tom Goodwin, who sat the last two games, led off the bottom of the first with a homer off the left-handed Anderson. Mark Grudzielanek followed that with his first home run as the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead.

The Dodgers doubled the lead in the second when they got down to playing the small, fundamental-type baseball first-year manager Jim Tracy spent a spring harping on.

Cora tripled to score freshly recalled third baseman Phil Hiatt to make it 3-0. Ashby squeezed and Cora as he dived over and around Diamondbacks catcher Damian Miller, crashing into and wiping out home plate umpire Lance Barksdale.

Ashby's cushion increased to 6-0 in the fourth inning when LoDuca drove in Shawn Green with a single to right. LoDuca stole second and eventually scored when Ashby sacrificed him to third, and Miller's throw sailed into left field.

It proved enough for Ashby, who retired 11 straight after Tony Womack led off with a single.

Ashby allowed a two-run pinch-hit home run to Erubiel Durazo with two outs in the fifth and then had trouble in the seventh. The Diamondbacks loaded the bases with none out and scored twice on Womack's two-out single to right to pull within 7-4.

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Photo:

(color) Andy Ashy made his debut Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer