A GIANT DILEMMA NO DEAL FOR DODGERS AS GM COLLETTI SEARCHES, L.A. LOSES TO GIANTS SAN FRAN. 5, DODGERS 4.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE Staff Writer

From a seat in the corner of the Dodgers' dugout before Thursday's 5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants, general manager Ned Colletti had a clear view of the pitcher's mound. The effort to shore up the teams rotation takes up a pretty good portion of Colletti's energy these days.

Colletti is constantly looking for ways to give his team an edge as it barrels toward a second-half pennant race, well aware that the team that captures the National League West banner likely will be the one that pitches best over the final three months of the regular season.

That is one of the reasons Colletti brought veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last week, hoping Hendrickson would provide what Jae Seo and Odalis Perez couldn't before him: Stability at the back end of the rotation.

Hendrickson offered a mixed bag in his first start at Dodger Stadium in front of a crowd of 42,515. He gave up five runs on seven hits through the first three innings, then settled down to toss three scoreless innings. He allowed one walk and struck out three.

One area Colletti doesn't have to worry about is first base. Nomar Garciaparra has seen to that, seamlessly making the transition in his first year at the position to earn his sixth career All-Star berth.

Of course, it's at the plate where Garciaparra makes the most noise. Mostly that's with his bat he extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a run-scoring infield single Thursday but lately it has been by sacrificing his body.

Garciaparra was hit twice by San Francisco pitchers he now has been hit by a pitch five times over the past four days and the second beaning helpedthe Dodgers close to 5-4 in the seventh inning. Garciaparra reached first with one out, moved to second on a single by J.D. Drew then scored on a single by Ramon Martinez.

San Francisco jumped on Hendrickson from the outset, pushing across three runs in the first inning. Moises Alou singled home Randy Winn with the first run, Ray Durham grounded into a fielder's choice to score Omar Vizquel scored, and Pedro Feliz singled to bring home Alou.

The Giants added two more runs in the third on run-scoring doubles by Durham and Lance Niekro to make it 5-0.

The Dodgers scored twice in the bottom of the third on a double by Rafael Furcal, singles by Kenny Lofton and Garciaparra, and a sacrifice fly by Andre Ethier.

The Dodgers threatened again in the fifth by loading the bases with no outs, but managed only one run after Ramon Martinez grounded into a double play to score Kenny Lofton, and Cesar Izturis fouled out to third base.

Offense hasn't been a problem for the Dodgers this year they lead the NL in hitting and runs scored and although their pitching is a respectable sixth in the league, they would be far better off with more dependability at the end of the rotation.

With the trade deadline looming in three weeks, Colletti is on the lookout for ways to improve his club.

For now, it's too early to predict if the Dodgers will be a big player when trades are made this summer. The big names being talked about Dontrelle Willis and Barry Zito haven't officially been offered, and beyond those two, there aren't expected to be many impact players available.

It's typical of every other year in that there's far more speculation than there is fact, Colletti said. The names (being) talked about arent necessarily upgrades, so we'll see.

Colletti said he will get a better feel at next weeks All-Star game in Pittsburgh. The annual break offers an informal setting for GMs to swap trade ideas.

He doesn't expect anything major during the break or directly after it, but he does expect to leave Pittsburgh with a better idea what some other teams might be thinking.

If you're going to see any impact players moved, I think you'll see it happen in the days leading up to the trade deadline, Colletti said. I could be wrong. Someone could get blown away and go forth, really overload somebody with an offer and give them a deal they can't refuse.

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CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Dodgers' Kenny Lofton can't catch up to a third-inning fly ball by Lance Niekro that turned into an RBI double during Thursday's game.

(2) The Giants' Barry Bonds misses a first-inning pitch Thursday against the Dodgers.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color) Dodgers starter Mark Hendrickson (right) confers with catcher Russell Martin as the Giants take a 3-0 lead.

Keith Birmingham/Staff Photographer

(4) BILLINGSLEY

Box:

DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO

- Vincent Bonsignore