ASHLEY TRIPLES HIS FUN : DODGERS WIN 2ND IN ROW OVER EXPOS DODGERS 5, MONTREAL 3.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Billy Ashley, the reluctant specialist, hunts left-handed pitchers. In the newspapers. On television. In conversation. He can tell you how the starting rotation of the Montreal Expos turns, and how an off-day might change it. He can spot the lone lefty in the darkest corner of the deepest bullpen and provide a scouting report.

It's his job. It's what he does, like it or not.

Occasionally, after all this stalking, he bags one. He did it Saturday night and because of it the Dodgers defeated the Expos 5-3 at Olympic Stadium. The left-hander in question was Rheal Cormier and he represented platoon-bound Ashley's first start in a week.

Batting in the sixth position and with the bases loaded in the first inning, Ashley tripled on the first pitch Cormier let go of. His first career triple scored three runs and, coupled with Mike Piazza's 13th home run four innings later, was plenty for starter Ramon Martinez (3-0) and the Dodgers' sturdy bullpen.

The Dodgers (26-24) have won two in a row here and eight of their past 11 overall. They remained 5-1/2 games behind the National League West leading San Diego Padres.

``I feel like I've been a caged animal, just set loose on the field,'' said Ashley, whose limited playing time is the result of a hamstring injury and the system by which he shares left field with Todd Hollandsworth.

He is batting .242 a season after he lost his job to Hollandsworth, a couple months after failing to win it back in spring training. His participation usually is determined by the opposing pitchers' dominant arm, once in a while by manager Tom Lasorda's whimsy. It is not the best of circumstances for a 25-year-old with everyday intentions, but it is what he has been granted. He is willing, if not entirely grateful.

``When I'm out there, it feels good to be out there,'' said Ashley, who two weeks ago returned from the disabled list and a short rehabilitation assignment in Triple-A Albuquerque. ``I know my role on this team and I've come to accept it. There's nothing I can do about it but go out and play.

``I've just got to get back into the so-called swing of things. The more I get thrown out there, the better I feel. I guess you could say it's how I expect to be playing.''

After the Dodgers scored four two-out runs in their 5-4 win here Friday night, Ashley's hit accounted for three more. Piazza walked with two out in the first inning and Eric Karros singled him to third base. Raul Mondesi walked and that brought Ashley to the plate with his eye on Cormier, as it had been for several days. He was hitless in his past eight at-bats, which included five strikeouts. Cormier threw a fastball, and Ashley hit it to center field, very high and very deep.

``I thought it might have a chance to get out, but I ran hard anyway,'' he said.

The ball fell toward Expos center fielder F.P Santangelo, almost straight down. It deflected off the wall, off Santangelo's mouth and then off the warning track. F.P. was KO'd. He left the game and needed a stitch to stop the bleeding. Ashley glided into third base.

``It's definitely not out of the realm of possibility,'' Ashley said. ``I'm really not so slow that I couldn't hit a triple.''

Though somewhat wobbly, Martinez made it stand through 6-1/3 innings. He allowed eight hits and five walks but only two runs. The Expos, not long ago the belle of the National League East, have lost eight of their past 11. They left eight runners on base during Martinez's innings, and mustered single runs in the second, third and seventh innings.

After Martinez, relievers Mark Guthrie, Chan Ho Park and Todd Worrell, who saved his 13th game, kept the Expos scoreless over the last 2-2/3 innings. In the past four games, the bullpen has pitched 15-2/3 innings, allowed six hits and no runs and has 17 strikeouts.

It protected the two runs provided by Piazza, who rode a Cormier changeup into the right-field seats with Roger Cedeno on first base.

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Photo

PHOTO Montreal's Cliff Floyd is out at second on a fielder' s choice in the second inning as L.A.'s Delino DeShields hangs on to the ball.

Associated Press