ANOTHER PITCHER BITES DUST DAAL ROUGHED UP IN DODGERS' LOSS COLORADO 7, DODGERS 1.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

DENVER - Hideo Nomo wasn't on the mound for the Dodgers, and for the last week of this playoff stall that's meant trouble. Indeed, the refrain for the Dodgers is Nomo, then ``Oh No.''

Left-hander Omar Daal was the latest starter to take his lumps, following in the path of Andy Ashby, Kazuhisa Ishii, Kevin Brown and Odalis Perez. <

< Needing a strong effort against the long-since-forgotte Colorado Rockies, an erratic Daal was roughed up for five runs on seven hits and walked five in 3 2/3 innings as the Dodgers were overwhelmed 7-1 in the opener of a four-game series at Coors Field.

The Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, who were playing in San Diego, entered the day tied for the wild-card lead but clearly heading in opposite directions.

``I hate playing teams like this down the stretch because they have nothing to lose, and what better way to do it than play spoiler,'' Dodgers left fielder Brian Jordan said. ``That's exactly what they're doing. They're playing good baseball, trying to get their stats up so they can be there next year. You can't blame them.''

Shawn Green hit his 42nd homer in the seventh inning to break the shutout, but the Dodgers managed little off Colorado right-hander Denny Stark (10-3). He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three in seven innings.

While the starting pitching struggles, the offense continues to trail off, not helped by a handful of stellar defensive plays by the Rockies. The Dodgers managed just three hits and have scored three runs or less in seven of their past nine games. Dodgers third baseman Adrian Beltre embodies the offensive woes. He went 0 for 3 and is 1 for his last 34.

``I think it's too much of us to ask for each one of (the starting pitchers) to have a great outing each time out,'' Dodgers center fielder Dave Roberts said. ``That's been too much to ask because they've been great for us all year long. At some point you have to go out there and put up some runs and cover their back a little bit. But our pitching and defense is what got us here and that's what is going to take us to the finish line.''

After a 53-minute rain delay, Roberts led off with an infield single, but the Dodgers didn't have another hit until Green's one-out homer.

But not even a valiant 132-pitch performance by Nomo on Wednesday could create momentum for the Dodgers against the Rockies. It was the sixth consecutive loss for the Dodgers when Nomo didn't start.

Nomo is 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA in his last two starts. The rest of the rotation is 0-6 with a 7.16 ERA. Daal's short stint marked the third time in that span a starter didn't make it through the fifth inning.

Daal (11-8) yielded nine hits and four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in losing to Houston in his last start before the Rockies knocked him out in the fourth inning. He is 3-5 with a 9.07 ERA in 13 appearances at Coors Field.

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2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Dodgers' Omar Daal, left, confers with catcher Paul Lo Duca during a 7-1 loss Thursday to Colorado.

(2) The Dodgers' Paul Lo Duca, right, turns back to the dugout as manager Jim Tracy argues a strikeout call.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

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