[0] PROKOPEC ACTS LIKE A REAL PRO ROOKIE SHOWS ANOTHER SOLID EFFORT DODGERS 4, SAN DIEGO 2.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Every time Luke Prokopec takes the mound these days, he knows it could be his last start in a major-league ballpark for quite some time.

So it shouldn't be much of a surprise that Prokopec did his best work Saturday night while under pressure. The 23-year-old rookie right-hander didn't dominate the Padres, but battled through six solid innings to earn the 4-2 victory in front of 30,295 at Dodger Stadium.

Prokopec made only the fifth start of his brief career, and is only in the majors right now only because Andy Ashby is on the disabled list with a sore elbow.

Prokopec probably will make at least two more starts before Ashby return and then it could be back to Triple-A Las Vegas. But Prokopec is working to impress the Dodgers' staff for the future, and his effort Saturday night certainly didn't hurt his cause.

Prokopec wasn't as sharp as in his only other start this year, when he held the Giants to one run in seven innings on April 6, but showed that he doesn't have to have his best stuff in order to win. He allowed two runs on six hits and walked none in six innings.

The Padres touched Prokopec for five hits in the first three innings, and he trailed 1-0 until the Dodgers scored four times in the fifth.

In between, Prokopec stranded three runners in scoring position and got some help defensively. A first-inning double play scored Rickey Henderson from third but prevented a big inning, and two Padres were thrown out at home, one on a double steal and the other on a fielder's choice groundout.

For the second time in as many nights, the Dodgers were held relatively in check early on by one of the Padres' journeyman starting pitchers. This time it was Kevin Jarvis, 15-24 lifetime, who stifled the Dodger bats in the first four innings.

The Dodgers finally broke through in the fifth, in a flurry of footwear and headgear.

Angel Pena and Alex Cora led off with consecutive singles. When Prokopec bounced a ball toward first, Ryan Klesko fielded it quickly, but nobody covered second base. Klesko was forced to throw to first and let both runners move over.

Tom Goodwin, who had struck out and grounded into a double play in his previous at-bats, ripped a ball just fair down the right field line, and cruised into third base even though he lost his left shoe as he reached second.

San Diego manager Bruce Bochy argued that a fan touched the ball down the right-field line, which would have sent Cora back to third and Goodwin to second. But Bochy was ejected and lost his hat to the wind in the process.

The rally continued without Bochy, as Mark Grudzielanek extended his hitting streak to nine games with a RBI single to right. He moved to third on a Gary Sheffield single and scored on Shawn Green's sacrifice fly for a 4-1 lead.

The Padres scored their first run in the first, when Henderson was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on a single by Damian Jackson and scored when Klesko hit into a double play.

Both pitchers left after the sixth inning. Jarvis, who allowed nine hits, walked one and struck out two, retired the side in order in the sixth but left for a pinch-hitter in the seventh.