A DENVER-LIKE NIGHT : DODGERS' HOT BATS ARE TOO MUCH FOR ROCKIES DODGERS 9 COLORADO 4.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Those are not the majestic Rocky Mountains out beyond the left-field pavilion at Dodger Stadium. Those would be the less-than-majestic-but-still-nice San Gabriels. A purple sunset smeared across the sky? Try a brushfire. But it was pretty, too, in its own grayish, billowy way.

The Colorado Rockies were here, and it all looked like Denver to the Dodgers.

Four days after they scored 33 runs on their weekend trip to the mountains, the Dodgers defeated the Rockies 9-4 Thursday night before an announced crowd of 54,331, a season high.

The Dodgers scored eight runs in the second inning against Rockies starter Marvin Freeman, who didn't come out for the third inning. The previously dormant Dodgers offense has scored 61 runs in its past eight games, an unlikely turnaround nudged along by five games against the Rockies' uncomely pitching staff.

On a muggy evening when the baseball was heavy and friction was the Dodgers' ally, the Rockies made 10 of their first 12 outs against starter Ismael Valdes with flyouts or strikeouts, and 15 of 22.

The Dodgers did not have a baserunner in their first inning, but hit two line drives off Freeman. Foreshadowing, in hindsight.

The Dodgers batted 11 in the second inning, when they had a walk and seven hits, including two home runs. Five of the eight runs and both of the home runs came after two were out. In 36 innings and a few dozen runs at Coors Field, where they lost three of four games, they Dodgers did not score eight runs in an inning. Only six, once, and five, twice.

The eight-run inning matched the Dodgers' most productive inning of the season. It began with Raul Mondesi at first base with one out.

Mike Blowers bounced a single through the right side of the infield, and extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games. In his first 17 games as a Dodger, Blowers had eight hits and batted .148. In his past 17, he has 24 hits and is batting .369. He's a summer guy.

Blowers' single moved Mondesi to third base. Rookie Todd Hollandsworth singled to right field to drive in Mondesi. Then Greg Gagne, who had three hits against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, singled past Rockies second baseman Eric Young to drive in the Dodgers' second run.

Valdes, who can't hit much but is second in the National League in sacrifice bunts, pushed a bunt to Freeman, who disregarded Hollandsworth creeping down the third-base line, turned and threw to first base. Hollandsworth scored in front of the return throw and the Dodgers led 3-0, with two out. Apparently, when you pitch in Denver, you just give runs away.

Chad Fonville, in his sixth consecutive start in the leadoff position, all under Russell, lined a single to left field that scored Gagne. It was the first of the five two-out runs for the Dodgers, who had only 74 of those all season.

After Fonville, Delino DeShields hit his fifth home run. It made the score 6-0, Dodgers. Piazza followed with a single through the middle and Eric Karros homered to left-center field.

Karros has seven home runs in his past nine games, and six in his past seven games, for 20 total. He had a career-high 32 last season.

The first Dodgers pitcher to nine victories, Valdes (9-5) defeated the Rockies for the second time in five days. He has won two consecutive starts, during which the Dodgers scored 21 runs.

The proud Dodgers pitching staff was humiliated in its first trip of the season to Coors Field. The Rockies scored 52 runs, knocked the Dodgers out of first place, and jacked up their ERA by more than one-third of a run.

``They were probably embarrassed,'' Russell said before Thursday's game. ``And they are better pitchers than that.''

Valdes allowed two runs and five hits in 7-1/3 innings. He left an eight-run lead to the bullpen, this time in good faith, because here, voices carry and baseballs don't.