A RARE GEM FOR DODGERS; VALDES' 1-HITTER TIES UP PIRATES : DODGERS 2 , PITTSBURGH 0.

Byline: Matt McHale Daily News Staff Writer

If there is a second act in the Dodgers' 1998 season, Ismael Valdes might be the perfect man to play the lead.

Valdes, who has struggled during most of the Dodgers' difficult year, took a perfect game into the eighth inning Saturday night and settled for a one-hit 2-0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Pirates in front of 37,821 at Dodger Stadium.

Valdes (6-7) was barely challenged until Kevin Young lined a sharp single to center on the first pitch of the eighth inning. Valdes then retired the final six batters to give the Dodgers their second consecutive victory.

``I was thinking about the perfect game in the eighth inning,'' said Valdes, who finished with seven strikeouts in his eighth career complete game. ``No matter what I did, it was a perfect game for me.''

Valdes, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning just three weeks ago against Oakland, threw the 26th one-hitter in Dodgers history. The last was Aug. 5, 1995 by Hideo Nomo, a 3-0 victory at San Francisco.

``I just wanted to throw strikes inside and out,'' Valdes said. ``Young hit a slider on he outside corner, and he hit it good. Everybody wants to throw a perfect game. If it is my destiny, I will have my perfect game.''

All Valdes needed was a bases-loaded single by Raul Mondesi off Pirates starter Francisco Cordova (6-6) with two outs in the sixth. Mondesi also came up with the bases loaded in the first but grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The only downside to the victory was that division-leading San Diego also won, keeping its lead over the third-place Dodgers at 13-1/2 games. Second-place San Francisco also won, staying seven games in front.

But for the Dodgers, an overpowering Valdes means hope in the second half. In his past four starts, including the June 10 two-hit shutout against Oakland, Valdes has allowed just four earned runs in 30-1/3 innings for a 1.19 ERA.

The Dodgers didn't have much more luck than the Pirates against Cordova. He allowed only four hits and two runs in seven innings.

After the bases-loaded jam in the first, Cordova retired 13 consecutive batters before Eric Young opened the sixth with a double to left, extending his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games. One out later, Gary Sheffield was intentionally walked and Eric Karros drew a base on balls to load the bases.

This time Mondesi came through with a sharp single to left that scored Young and Sheffield.

``Cordova threw an excellent game,'' Valdes said, ``but someone is going to win and someone is going to lose.''

Valdes only allowed two balls to the outfield, a fly to right by Lou Collier in the third and soft liner by Jason Kendall to end the seventh.

``That was the best we've seen of him,'' said Pirates manager Gene Lamont, whose team got 10 hits and four runs in five innings against Valdes on April 30. ``The second time around, he threw breaking balls. He had real good control of them.''.

Despite an erratic season, Valdes had a similar game three weeks ago against Oakland, a two-hit 2-0 shutout.

Against the A's, Valdes walked the leadoff batter in the third but did not allow a hit until Matt Stairs singled up the middle with two outs in the seventh.

He also gave up a single to Mike Macfarlane with two outs in the eighth and nearly lost his shutout in the ninth when left fielder Roger Cedeno misplayed Scott Spiezio's liner for a two-base error.

And like his matchup with Cordova, Valdes had an opponent on his game. The A's Kenny Rogers allowed two hits and no earned runs in seven innings.

That was Valdes' first two-hitter since Sept. 17, 1995 against St. Louis and his first complete game since Sept. 23, 1995 at San Diego, a span of 77 games.

Valdes won 13 games that year and went 15-7 in 1996. But his career began to falter from there, going 10-11 last season even though he was fourth in the National League with a 2.65 ERA.

Teammates began to question his grit on the mound, and Karros criticized Valdes to his face. With the team's slow start, Valdes was a target for more criticism.

He is 2-6 with a 5.23 ERA on the road. But at home he is 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA.

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Photo

PHOTO (Color) Dodgers pitcher Ismael Valdes breaks toward the ball as Pittsburgh's Tony Womack bunts in the seventh. Valdes threw Womack out.

E.J. Flynn/Associated Press