ASTACIO IS A STOPPER NOW : PITCHER'S FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN ENDS THE DODGERS' SLIDE DODGERS 8, PHILADELPHIA 5.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Cornered by a three-game losing streak and a sickly offense, the Dodgers had no meetings. Nothing nearly so superficial. They did not stir up their lineup or light candles in the clubhouse or anything nearly so interesting.

They merely handed the baseball to Pedro Astacio.

Fifth in their rotation but, surely, first against the hearts of other lineups, Astacio continued his rebirth as the club's best late-season starter. He pitched 7-1/3 solid innings, and the Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-5 Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

The victory was the first for the Dodgers in four games, the last three against the Phillies, last in the National League East.

Again, it was Astacio.

He has won four consecutive decisions. He has won consecutive starts for the first time since June 1994. Three of his last four victories have come after Dodgers losses, and he has allowed more than three runs once in his past 10 starts.

And the run support, well, that's new, too. Astacio (8-7) has lost twice since the end of June, and in those games he allowed a total of one run.

Against the Phillies, pesky as they are, Astacio did not allow a hit until there were two out in the fifth inning. As the Dodgers' lead grew around him, all the way to 8-0 by the seventh inning, Astacio merely threw strikes and worked quickly, the key points of his second-half turnaround.

Though he eventually allowed three runs, Astacio took flight from the mound in the eighth inning with a wave to the crowd and a smile on his face.

Considering how quickly their one-game lead in the National League West became a slightly alarming 2-1/2-game deficit - it happened in the course of four days and three games - you'd have to excuse the Dodgers if they called this series finale critical. If nothing else, the San Diego Padres, winners of four in a row, had the night off, so any damage would be minimal. The Dodgers are two games behind, with plenty left to play.

``They don't seem to lose,'' Dodgers manager Bill Russell said Thursday afternoon. ``But they're going to go through a bad streak again. They're a good team, but it's inevitable. It could happen just as quickly the other way.''

There was very little drama in what otherwise might have been a discouraging sweep. The Dodgers scored twice in the first inning off Phillies starter Mike Williams, as they should have. Williams (4-12) has lost six of his past seven decisions.

Mike Piazza, whose average has fallen to a season-low .340, walked with two out, and Eric Karros homered to center field. The home run was Karros' 27. He leads the club with 83 RBI. Piazza, batting .246 in August, has 81 RBI, and only nine this month.

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PHOTO (color) Wendell Magee, the Phillies outfielder who ro bbed Tim Wallach Tuesday, can't stop Eric Karros' first-inning home run Thursday.

Associated Press