A GIANT STEP FORWARD PEREZ SHUTS DOWN SAN FRANCISCO, WINS DODGERS 3, SAN FRAN. 1.

Byline: TONY JACKSON  Staff Writer

The Dodgers still got precious little in the way of timely hitting, and they still didn't have a reliable way to bridge the gap from their starting pitcher to the back of their bullpen. But against one of the league's most dangerous lineups, Odalis Perez found a way to render all that moot.

The much-maligned left-hander delivered arguably the finest performance by a Dodgers starter this season on Saturday night, pitching his struggling club to a desperately needed, 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants and thrilling a Barry Bonds-baiting, sellout crowd of 55,132 at Dodger Stadium.

In seven strong innings, Perez held the Giants to three hits, none of which came after the third. He retired Bonds twice, getting him to fly out to end the first with a runner on and to ground out with the bases empty in the sixth, and finished by setting down the final seven batters he faced.

In light of that effort, it didn't matter that the Dodgers' lineup continued to sputter in critical situations, running their three-day streak of futility with runners in scoring position to 19 consecutive at-bats before Dioner Navarro finally came through with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the eighth inning to plate Jeff Kent with a monumental insurance run.

It also didn't matter that the two rookies and one almost-rookie the Dodgers are using for middle relief have been shakier than the San Andreas fault. Thanks to Perez and his 94-pitch gem, they weren't needed.

Takashi Saito, the man manager Grady Little has all but anointed as the team's setup man, worked around a one-out double by Randy Winn to pitch a scoreless eighth inning. Danys Baez, the man who will fill the closer role until Eric Gagne returns whenever, worked around Bonds' leadoff double to pitch a scoreless ninth, recording his third save. Saito and Baez now have combined to pitch 10 1/3 innings this season without allowing a run.

But on an evening when the Dodgers evened the three-game series at one apiece and set up today's nationally televised rubber match in the twilight, the star was unquestionably Perez.

``Good pitching by Perez, great pitching,'' Giants manager Felipe Alou said. ``He kept the ball down, and he changed speeds. I can't remember more than four or five hittable pitches.''

Amid a constant shower of boos, Bonds went 1 for 3 with the ninth-inning double, raising his average to a still-puny .190. He was walked intentionally with a man on second and two outs in the third, a strategy that worked perfectly when Ray Durham then flied to right to end the last real threat the Giants would mount against Perez (2-0).

``Most of the time when you get ahead in the count, that's what happens,'' Perez said. ``If you throw strikes, you know they're going to swing at them. Let those guys put the ball in play. I used all my pitches and had good location, and they hit a lot of ground balls.''

Although the Dodgers continued to blow prime scoring chances, they mounted a two-out rally in the third.

It began with Rafael Furcal's walk and ended with Kenny Lofton's first hit in a Dodgers uniform, a ringing triple that skipped past center fielder Steve Finley and rolled to the wall. Furcal scored easily, tying the game after Ray Durham and Finley had sandwiched back-to-back singles around Perez's wild pitch in the second to give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

With runners on first and second and one out in the fourth, Little, tired of watching his team fail to capitalize, decided to force the issue. He ordered a double steal, and Jeff Kent and Jose Cruz executed it perfectly. After a walk to James Loney, Navarro hit a potential double-play grounder to first baseman Lance Niekro, who bobbled it just long enough that it became nothing more than a run-scoring groundout and gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

``We do get to certain points where we feel like we need to create a little bit of activity,'' Little said. ``That's what was being done there.''

The Dodgers (6-6) knocked the Giants out of first place in the National League West, moved themselves into third place and pulled within 1 1/2 games of new division leader Colorado.

Giants right-hander Jason Schmidt, who in three starts this season has borne no resemblance to his once-dominating self, limited the Dodgers to three hits over six innings. But he issued seven walks, three of which led directly or indirectly to Dodgers runs.

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Dodgers starter Odalis Perez held the San Francisco Giants to one run on three hits over seven solid innings in Los Angeles' win Saturday.

(2 -- color) Jeff Kent swings and misses during the second inning against Giants starter Jason Schmidt

(3) The Dodgers' Jeff Kent exchanges words with home-plate umpire Chris Guccione in the second inning.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO

- Tony Jackson

(2) DODGERS' RUNS BY INNING (SEASON)