[0] DODGERS ROCK COLORADO : PIAZZA, FONVILLE PROVIDE OFFENSE AS NOMO WINS FOURTH DODGERS 7, COLORADO 4.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writer

It doesn't always have to be Chad Fonville stealing runs or Mike Piazza muscling runs. Sometimes it can be neither, which is why the Dodgers lose about as often as they win.

But, occasionally, it can be both.

Take Tuesday night. The Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-4 at Dodger Stadium because Fonville, creator of mini offense, generated a couple runs and because Piazza mixed in his signature overstated offense.

Fonville scored two runs and drove in another with a two-out single and Piazza drove in three runs, two with his fifth home run, all in support of Dodgers starter Hideo Nomo, who pitched eight crisp innings for his fourth win in six decisions. He is 4-0 in four starts at Dodger Stadium.

In what was a one-run game in the top of the sixth, the Dodgers scored four runs in the bottom of the inning, all with two out. Fonville singled to center field to score one, then Piazza slammed his two-run homer to right field. Two pitches later, Eric Karros, fresh from eight days on the trainer's table, hit a long home run to left field.

``The little guys, we've got to make things happen so the big guys can drive us in,'' Fonville said. ``When we get on, we know we'll score runs.''

The Dodgers hadn't scored as many as four runs in an inning in two weeks and hadn't hit back-to-back home runs since April 3. Whether it can be explained by the Rockies' pitching staff, whose 6.31 ERA is matched in baseball only by the Detroit Tigers' 7.09, or by a breakout that began with Monday's 10 runs against the Chicago Cubs, is unclear. Regardless, the Dodgers pulled back to .500 (14-14) and to within 3-1/2 games of the San Diego Padres, who led the Dodgers by 4-1/2 games for the past eight days. The Dodgers are 6-2 since April 23, when Piazza's eighth-inning, three-run home run beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2.

Karros brought his bat back into the lineup for the first time in eight games, though shortstop Greg Gagne and his tender hamstring needed a fourth game off. Only a couple hours before game time Karros was unsure of his status, though early batting practice seemed to suggest his ailing left side was close to healed.

He was back in the cleanup spot, behind Piazza and before Raul Mondesi. In the fifth inning he singled to center field, then scored the Dodgers' third run on a two-out triple to left-center field by Delino DeShields.

Karros said a variety of factors contributed to his decision to play, including the warm weather and the Dodgers' off-day on Thursday. ``It was pretty good conditions to go out and give it a try,'' he said.

However, he said the two-hit game signified little in the long term.

``No indications, no nothing,'' he insisted. ``Just fortunate tonight, that's all.

``For me right now it's to get out there and play some games, stay active and stay healthy. I was rotting on the bench.''

The Dodgers scored two runs in the third inning, by which time they had seen some of Rockies starter Kevin Ritz's usual game. Those two runs were the product of three innings that saw six walks, two wild pitches, an error by shortstop Walt Weiss and a single by Piazza.

In five previous starts, or 25 innings, Ritz (2-3) had 20 walks and two wild pitches. His ERA, then, was 8.28, though just 2.61 away from the baseball-in-a-vacuum they play in Denver.

The Dodgers' usual game also contributed failures by Karros, Brett Butler, Karros again, Mondesi and Todd Hollandsworth with runners in scoring position. Therefore, given the opportunities, they led just 2-1. Piazza's single drove in Fonville with none out in the third and DeShields' sacrifice fly scored Piazza.

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Photo

Photo: Hideo Nomo won his fourth game of the season, all at Dodger Stadium, when he beat the Colorado Rockies 7-4 Tuesday night.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News